Simchah Bunim Alter

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Rabbi Simchah Bunim Alter the fifth Rebbe of Ger

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 led 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 fifth rebbe of Ger, as his brother had no heirs of his own.(Upon his brother's death, his widow performed Halizah on Rabbi Simcha Bunim as required)

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

The Alter family managed to escape from Poland and flee from the Holocaust to the 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 chasidim tend to be very secretive about their private lives and undertakings in general. ^{[reference required]}

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 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-chasidic Degel HaTorah party (that was within the United Torah Judaism party) split when Rabbi Elazar Shach broke with Agudat Israel and its chasidic 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.