Yaakov Aryeh Alter ( pl, Jakub Arie Alter, he, יעקב אריה אלתר, born 18 May 1939) is the eighth, and current,
Rebbe
A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...
of the
Hasidic dynasty of
Ger, a position he has held since 1996. He lives in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, and has followers there and in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He is a member of the Presidium of the
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (, "Council of great Torah ages) is the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of the Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah movements in Israel; and of Agudath Israel of America in the United States. Members are usually pr ...
of
Agudath Israel.
Life
Yaakov Aryeh Alter was born on 29
Iyar
Iyar ( he, אִייָר or , Standard ''ʾĪyyar'' Tiberian ''ʾĪyyār''; from akk, 𒌗 𒄞 itiayari " rosette; blossom") is the eighth month of the civil year (which starts on 1 Tishrei) and the second month of the Jewish religious year ...
5699 in
Lodz,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, in 1939, to Rabbi
Simcha Bunim Alter
Simcha Bunim Alter ( he, שמחה בונים אלתר; April 6, 1898 – August 6, 1992), also known as the ''Lev Simcha'' (), after the works he authored, was the sixth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1977 until his ...
, also known as the ''Lev Simcha'', who later became the sixth Gerrer Rebbe, and Yuta Henya, daughter of Rabbi Nehemiah Alter, his grandfather's brother. He was named after his ancestor Rabbi
Yaakov Aryeh Guterman
Grand Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Guterman (1792-1874) was the founding admor of the Radzymin Hasidic Dynasty. He was called the "''Sabba Kadisha'' (Holy Grandfather) of '' Radzymin''".
Biography
Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Guterman was a disciple of the Seer ...
of
Radzymin
Radzymin is a town in Poland and is one of the distant suburbs of the city of Warsaw. It is located in the powiat of Wołomin of the Masovian Voivodeship. The town has 8,818 inhabitants (as of 2008, but the surrounding commune is heavily pop ...
.
In 1940, he immigrated with his father and grandfather (Rebbe
Avraham Mordechai Alter
Avraham Mordechai Alter ( pl, Abraham Mordekhaj Alter, he, אברהם מרדכי אלתר; 25 December 1865 – 3 June 1948), also known as the ''Imrei Emes'' after the works he authored, was the fourth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a po ...
) to
Eretz Israel
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...
. He studied in the
Talmud Torah
Talmud Torah ( he, תלמוד תורה, lit. 'Study of the Torah') schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of religious school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary educ ...
Etz Chaim
Etz Hayim, also transliterated as Eitz Chaim ( , meaning "Tree of Life"), is a common term used in Judaism. The expression can be found in , referring to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. It is also found in the Book of Proverbs, where it i ...
. For many years, he
studied Torah at a synagogue known as ''Rashi Shtiebel'' in
Bnei Brak. He married Shoshana, daughter of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Weitz, one of the heads of
Yeshivat Chiddushei HaRim.
Alter is one of the wealthiest people in the Haredi sector and in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in general, and in 2012 was ranked third on the list of the richest rabbis in Israel, with a net worth of approximately NIS 350 million to NIS 500 million (between approximately $95 million and $135 million) due to real estate investments his father made in north Tel Aviv, Arsuf and Jerusalem before Israel’s establishment. Despite his wealth, he lived in an apartment in an ordinary residential building in the Chazon Ish neighborhood in Bnei Brak until 2011 when he moved to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
He and his wife have five sons and four daughters.
In 2019, it was reported that one of Alter's sons was accused of sexually molesting two young male students from amongst Alter's followers.
In 1996, after the passing of
Pinchas Menachem Alter
Pinchas Menachem Alter ( he, פינחס מנחם אלתר, June 9, 1926 – March 7, 1996), also known as the ''Pnei Menachem'' (), after the works he authored, was the seventh Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1992 un ...
, his nephew Yaakov Aryeh Alter became the Rebbe of Ger.
In 2007, approximately 50,000 people attended the wedding of Alter's oldest grandson in Jerusalem.
In 2016, Alter's followers were estimated at 11,859 families.
In 2019, Alter's cousin
Shaul Alter
Shaul Alter (born July 6, 1957) is the founder and current leader of Kehilas Pnei Menachem (an offshoot from the Ger Hasidic dynasty). He served as Rosh Yeshivah of Sfas Emes Yeshivah from 1993 until its closing in 2016.
Early life
Born in ...
and his followers split off, forming Kehilas Pnei Menachem.
As of 2021, membership of Shaul Alter's breakaway faction consisted of some 500 families.
In 2022, an estimated 60,000 people, including Rabbis
Yisrael Meir Lau
Yisrael Meir Lau ( he, ישראל מאיר לאו; born 1 June 1937) served as the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel, and chairman of Yad Vashem. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003.
Biography
Early life ...
,
Yitzhak Yosef
Yitzhak Yosef ( he, יצחק יוסף, born January 16, 1952) is the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel (known as the Rishon LeZion), the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia, and the author of a set of books on ''halakha'' (Jewish law) called Yalk ...
,
Yitzchok Zilberstein
Yitzchok Zilberstein ( he, יצחק זילברשטיין, also spelled Silberstein) (born 1934) is a prominent Orthodox rabbi, posek (Jewish legal authority) and expert in medical ethics. He is the ''av beis din'' of the Ramat Elchanan neighborho ...
and
Nachum Dov Brayer
Nachum Dov Brayer (born 15 April 1959) is the Rebbe of the Boyan Hasidic dynasty. He is the grandson of the former Boyaner Rebbe of New York, Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Friedman. On Hanukkah 1984, at the age of 25, he was crowned Boyaner Rebbe. He li ...
attended the wedding of Alter's granddaughter.
References
External links
Rabi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, 7th Gerrer Rebbe ''
Geni.com''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alter, Yaakov Aryeh
1939 births
Living people
Israeli Hasidic rabbis
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Polish Hasidic rabbis
Rebbes of Ger
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
People from Łódź