JERUSALEM (AP) -- Tens of thousands of black-coated Hasidic Jews crowded streets and rooftops to witness the wedding of the heir to one of the most powerful ultra-Orthodox leaders in Israel.The courtyard of the Banot Yaacov religious school in Jerusalem was packed Tuesday with men wearing black fur hats as Israel Menachem Alter, 19, married Esther Eiger, 17, granddaughter of the head of the Hasidic dynasty of Lublin.

The event was described as the biggest celebration in Jerusalem since the wedding of the groom's father, Rabbi Yaacov Arieh Alter, 53 years ago.

Rabbi Alter is one of the most powerful figures in the United Torah Judaism party, which has four seats in Israel's parliament.

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He is also the head of the biggest Hasidic group in Israel, known as the Gur court.

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