Gabbaim

thumb|upright|Gabbai in Biała Podlaska (Poland, 1926) A gabbai (), sometimes spelled gabay, also known as shamash (, sometimes transcribed shamas) or warden (UK, 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 (literally 'servant') or gabbai can also mean an assistant to a rabbi (particularly the secretary or personal assistant to a Hasidic rebbe).