The Man Who Knows Where All Your Lost Items Are; Who Are You, Shashi Karko?

"This week, I traveled by bus from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem," L.M. began his story, which quickly went viral. "I had an envelope in my pocket with 46,000 shekels, and apparently, it simply fell on the seat in the bus. I got off at the Jerusalem station near the bank to deposit the amount, and I felt that the envelope was missing. I was in shock, especially since it wasn't my money. Initially, I thought maybe I forgot the envelope at home on the way to the bus. I called home, my family searched, and reported they didn't find it. The situation was not simple at all, if I don't find the money, I'll have to return it from my pocket, and it's a massive amount for me. I called the lost-and-found desk at Egged, and they referred me to the lost-and-found department at the central station. I went there, they checked my Rav Kav ticket and said it seemed like the ride was with Egged Taavura. I wandered the hallway back and forth, trying to call everyone to locate the company. Suddenly, Shashi Karko, from public inquiries, approached me, calmed me, and invited me to his office. I told him the story, and he immediately called the manager of Egged Taavura Jerusalem, located the driver, and heard from him that he indeed found the lost item. Mr. Karko was relentless until he ensured the amount was returned to me." L.M. concludes his story with heartfelt wishes: "May Hashem give Mr. Karko the strength to continue providing assistance for many more years".

95% Success in Finding Lost Items

After such a touching story, we couldn't resist, and set out to find the good messenger who managed to return the tens of thousands of shekels to their destination. We quickly discovered this wasn't the only case he dealt with, and there are many people who feel immense gratitude towards him because he helped them recover their lost items forgotten on buses.

Yes, his name is Shashi Karko, and in his role, he's responsible for public inquiries at Egged. He's been working at Egged for 48 years in various positions, but beneath the surface, he's become 'the man who finds all the lost items on buses.' If this definition sounds too ambitious, you probably haven't been exposed to his work yet.

"I really love helping people find the lost items they're searching for," he tells us honestly, "and thank Hashem, I have divine providence, as in 95% of the cases that come to me, I manage to locate the lost items."

How do people even know to contact you?

"Usually it happens after they contact the lost-and-found department of Egged or another transportation company. If the company can't locate the item for them, they come to me. There's also a national lost-and-found organization that refers many people to me who wish to hear if I can help them. I strive to help and do so with great joy, throughout the week, including on Fridays. I help people find forgotten tefillin, suitcases, wallets, strollers, and what not? For me, there is no such thing as 'can't find.' If we can't find something, we try again and again until we do."

But how do you succeed in doing it? What's your method?

"Initially, I always listen carefully to understand what the problem is and what exactly happened. After that, I suggest to every Jew, whether religious or not, to recite the known verse as a segulah for finding lost items: 'Rabbi Binyamin said everyone is in the dark until Hashem enlightens their eyes, as it is said, He opened her eyes and she went and filled the bottle.' Then I try to gather all the details about the lost item - what line they traveled on, who they traveled with, and if they remember details about the driver. Sometimes, if the bus comes to the central station, I personally board it, inspect, and search. Sometimes I find the item in the storage compartment or on the rack above the seats."

Regarding this, he recalls an interesting story: "About two weeks ago, I was on vacation when I received a call saying there's a woman from Canada whose grandson came to Israel and lost his tefillin on the bus to Haifa. I asked for her phone number and spoke with her. It turned out she lives in Toronto and was very anxious. Thanks to the descriptions her grandson gave her, which she conveyed to me, I was able to identify the driver. But it turned out he was no longer on that bus, as the line continued to Eilat. I didn't give up, checked with the station manager for another driver who was in Eilat, and contacted him. He boarded the bus and found that the tefillin were indeed there. But now a problem arose - how to transfer them from Eilat to Haifa? After all, it's a five-hour drive. I called the lady, and she said she would send her grandson to Jerusalem, where the bus was supposed to arrive, as long as he could get the tefillin, but of course, I didn't want to trouble him. Instead, I spoke with another driver going to Jerusalem to take the tefillin, and from there, they were transferred to another driver heading to Haifa, and that evening, the grandson received the tefillin back."

From Wedding Rings to Shabbat Food

Can you tell us - what are the items people most often forget on buses?

"Everything," he answers, "absolutely everything. Cameras, wallets, books, often tefillin and jewelry are forgotten. Once, I returned dance accessories brought for a bride's wedding, which arrived at the very last minute, right after the ceremony. In another case, someone forgot a parrot in a cage on the bus, which I also managed to return. This is the place to ask and remind everyone – are you boarding a bus with bags? It's a good idea to put them one inside the other; do you have bags? Make yourself a sign so you won't forget to take them; if you put things in the baggage compartment, notify the driver both when boarding and alighting. Don't forget your belongings for a moment, because the distress can be very great."

And how do people feel after forgetting their belongings? What are the reactions you hear?

Shashi sighs, then pulls out a letter and gives us a glance: "My son traveled from Bnei Brak to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, he forgot to take the suitcase he traveled with. You can't imagine the distress it caused us when he found out about it. The suitcase contained many valuable items, time, and effort, beyond the financial value – a brand new suit, bed linens, towels, shirts... the young man stayed at yeshiva without clothes to change into and without personal essentials. I contacted Egged but their response was delayed. My son went to the line's terminal and asked to search, but apart from a promise, he received no response. He went to the central station to no avail. Then Mr. Shashi came along, who didn't even reveal his last name ("it's okay, I want to help, and for that, I need details about the suitcase, not mine...") I couldn't believe this phone call and it's a shame I don't have a recording. Mr. Shashi asked for precise details including a description of the suitcase, the ticket number with which our son boarded the bus, and so forth. He called once again and again until all the details were collected, then told us the suitcase was found in Beit Shemesh. We were overjoyed. Our happy son immediately organized himself and planned to travel to Beit Shemesh, but dear Mr. Shashi did not relent and said it was a shame about the boy's Torah study. He personally arranged to bring the suitcase to Jerusalem."

In another letter rolling around us, we read the following post: "I am asking for help! Please, people, share this post as much as possible. My daughter traveled today at three-thirty on line 470 from Be'er Sheva to Jerusalem, the bag was wiped or lost during the trip. A black bag with a panther symbol, 'Ohad Shaul' is written on it. There are two locks on the bag, a pink pompom, and a keychain with the letter L in English in silver with glitter. This is the first Shabbat my daughter is returning from the army and unfortunately without all her equipment. I would appreciate it and thank you if you share the post and bring joy to a disappointed soldier."

"Do you understand how people feel?" Shashi asks us. According to him, this case ended well, and he also shows us the post published the next day: "I'll start by saying that the bag was found, but all this happened thanks to a special person named Shashi, an Egged complaints representative who saw the post and from that moment accompanied us until the bag was found and received. Dear Shashi, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, only thanks to you the bag returned to us and my soldier was able to enjoy and rejoice on Shabbat."

How do you personally feel about being privileged to be the good messenger for finding so many lost items?

"Personally? Personally, I feel a lot of satisfaction. Every time anew, there's the big fear that maybe this time I won't find it, that maybe I'll have to return empty-handed to those who turned to me. It's not just a fear because when you talk to them and hear the stress and pleas, it really makes you understand you need to make every effort to help them. These are often items that are very important to their owners. Once I even managed, with divine help, to find a newlywed bride's wedding ring. You understand what a wedding ring is? Another time, I returned three boxes of Shabbat food to a family. They were on their way to Jerusalem and simply forgot the food on the bus. What would they have eaten?" Shashi is full of stories like a pomegranate, but he notes it's very important for people to understand the conclusions. "Make every effort not to forget things, please, have mercy on yourself".

He doesn't receive compensation for his work. "Finding lost items is not part of my job at Egged, it's just a hobby," he says, simply. But there was one time when he did receive a reward – Chanukah money from the Belz Rebbe, along with a letter that particularly warmed his heart, since the Rebbe was witness to an incident where he managed to help, and enlisted to repay him for his good deed.

Tefillin in a Garage in Tayibe

But Shashi saves the most fascinating story for the end. "Last year, a student from the Tifrach Yeshiva turned to me and said he'd lost his tefillin on the bus when traveling from his yeshiva to Jerusalem. He said it had been about two months since the tefillin were lost, but perhaps I could still help him. Of course, I did my best, I managed to contact the driver who was on the line and he said that he had already been approached about it and didn't find anything, and in any case, two days after that incident, the bus was sold to an Arab company. I asked which Arab company it was, and it was said to be a company located in Tayibe, and now the bus was in a garage. Since I am proficient in the Arabic language, I called the garage manager and asked him to get on the bus and check what's on the shelves. At first, he told me: 'Listen, there are holy books here, we'll return them to you.' I asked him: 'Keep looking, maybe you'll find the tefillin as well.' He continued, and when he reached the end of the bus, he exclaimed in surprise: 'Here are the tefillin.' It turned out the tefillin had been lying in the bus for two months, and not only that, but also a variety of holy books, which if I hadn't contacted him, he certainly wouldn't have thought to return to us. Of course, that wasn't the end of the story, because I looked for one of the Egged employees who comes closest to the garage in Tayibe and asked him to transfer all the treasures to me, and of course, I delivered the tefillin to the family."

Shashi has a lot more stories, but his time is limited. "Do you know how many inquiries I receive each day? Sometimes even dozens. So I'm going to handle them all, and please, take the conclusions, because what would make me happiest is for you never to need me."