Simcha Bunim Alter

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Simcha Bunim Alter
Gerrer Rebbe

Term	March, 1977 – 7 July 1992
Full name	Simcha Binem Alter
Main work	Lev Simcha
Born	2 April, 1898
	Ger
Died	7 July, 1992
	Jerusalem
Buried	Mount of Olives
Dynasty	Ger
Predecessor	Yisroel Alter
Successor	Pinchos Menachem Alter
Father	Avrohom Mordechai Alter
Mother	Chaya Ruda Yehudis Czarna
Wife	Yuta Hena Alter
Issue	Chaya Ruda Yehudis Alter Rivka Feyga Alter Yaakov Arye Alter

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

The Alter family managed to escape from Poland and flee from 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-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.