Simchah Bunim Alter - Definition

Simchah Bunim Alter (or Simcha Binim) (April 6 1898 - August 6 1992), who was also known by the title of his Torah work/s as the Lev Simcha was an Orthodox Judaism rabbi. He lead the Hasidic Judaism Ger (Hasidic dynasty) as its rebbe ("spiritual leader") from 1977 to 1992 in Israel. He succeeded his brother Rabbi Yisrael Alter becoming the fith rebbe of Ger, as his brother had no heirs of his own. The dynasty originated in Poland in the town of Góra Kalwaria (known as "Ger" in short.)

Rabbi Simchah Bunim Alter's father, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter had been the third rebbe of the Ger Hasidic dynasty.

The male leaders and future leaders of the Alter family managed to escape from Poland and flee from the Holocaust to the British Mandate of Palestine. Prior to becoming rebbe of Ger, Simcha Bunim Alter was supposedly extremely successful as a businessman, although it is not clear what line of business he was in, being that Hasidim tend to be very secretive about their private lives and undertakings in general.

During the time of his leadership, the Ger Hasidim grew greatly in the State of Israel. He continued the family tradition of vigorous leadership of the Agudat Israel of Israel party that has representatives in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) representing the interests of Haredi Judaism in the Jewish state. It was during his stewardship of the party that the non-Hasidic Degel HaTorah party (now within the United Torah Judaism party) split when the Mitnagdim's leader, Rabbi Elazar Man Shach broke with Agudat Israel and its Hasidic leadership lead 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.

Upon his passing, Rabbi Simchah Bunim Alter was succeeded by his half-brother Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter who became the sixth rebbe of Ger. When the latter passed away after only four years at the helm of Ger in 1996, it was Rabbi Simchah Bunim Alter's eldest son Rabbi Yakov Aryeh Alter who then became the seventh, and current, rebbe of the Ger Hasidim in Israel and throughout the world.

See also

• Hasidic Judaism
• Ger (Hasidic dynasty)
• Rebbe

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. Simchah Bunim Alter (1898-1992)
6. Pinchas Menachem Alter (1926-1996)
7. Yakov Aryeh Alter (b. 1936)

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