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.

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 7 Tamuz 5752 (1992) and was interred in the cave of the Gerrer Rebbes on Har Hazeisim, the Mount of Olives cemetery.

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. Simcha Bunim Alter (1898-1992)
6. Pinchas Menachem Alter (1926-1996)
7. Yaakov Aryeh Alter (b. 1939)