Simcha Bunim Alter

Simcha Bunim Alter (6 April 1898 – 6 August 1992), also known as the Lev Simcha after the works he authored, was the fifth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1977 until 1992.

The Alter family managed to escape from Poland during the Holocaust to Palestine. Prior to becoming Rebbe of Ger, Simcha Bunim Alter was supposedly extremely successful as a businessman, although it is not known what line of business he was in.

During the time of his leadership, the Ger Hasidism grew greatly in the State of Israel. He continued the family tradition of vigorous leadership of the Agudat Israel of Israel party whose representatives in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) represent the interests of Haredi Judaism in the Jewish state. It was during his stewardship of the party that the non-Hasidic Degel HaTorah party (that was within the United Torah Judaism party) split when Rabbi Elazar Shach broke with Agudat Israel and its Hasidic leadership, led mainly by the rebbe of Ger. Rabbi Shach then aligned with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and had initially helped to launch the Sephardi Shas political party.

Rabbi Simcha Bunim instituted the daily learning of a page of the Jerusalem Talmud, similar to the renowned Daf Yomi of the Babylonian Talmud.

Rabbi Simcha Bunim died on the 7th of Tammuz 5752 (1992) and was interred in the cave of the Gerrer Rebbes in the Mount of Olives cemetery.

Rebbes of Ger

 * 1) Yitzchak Meir Alter (1798)-1866)
 * 2) Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (1847-1905)
 * 3) Avraham Mordechai Alter (1866-1948)
 * 4) Yisrael Alter (1895-1977)
 * 5) Simcha Bunim Alter (1898-1992)
 * 6) Pinchas Menachem Alter (1926-1996)
 * 7) Yaakov Aryeh Alter (b. 1939)