Gabbai

A gabbai (Hebrew: גַּבַּאי; sometimes transliterated as gabay), also known as a shamash (שַׁמָשׁ; sometimes transcribed as shamas) or warden (in British English, similar to churchwarden), is a beadle or sexton—a person who assists in the running of synagogue services in some way. The role may be undertaken on a voluntary or paid basis. A shamash (lit. 'servant') or gabbai can also be an assistant to a rabbi, particularly the secretary or personal assistant to a Hasidic rebbe. In the Sephardic Jewish ma'amad, the local or regional council of elders (or 'board of directors') of Sephardi Jewish communities, the position of gabbai was that of the treasurer.