Vox Tablet

I Was a Teenage Stowaway

Victor Rodack dreamed of visiting Israel. In 1967, he found an unusual way to make his dream a reality.

April 29, 2015
(Illustration and collage: Tablet Magazine/Esther Werdiger; news clippings courtesy Victor Rodack)
(Illustration and collage: Tablet Magazine/Esther Werdiger; news clippings courtesy Victor Rodack)

These days it’d be pretty hard to walk without a ticket onto a boarding airplane bound for an international locale. Between the TSA and sniffer dogs, any would-be stowaway would likely see the inside of a jail cell pretty fast. But before September 11, in fact, before 1970, it wasn’t quite as challenging.

When Victor Rodack, now a psychiatrist in his 60s, was a young teenager he had but one dream: to get to Israel. He tells Vox Tablet producer Julie Subrin exactly how he made that dream come true.

Bonus track: Listen to Victor’s press conference at JFK Airport, just after he landed back in the United States. (Thanks to Victor Rodack and Paul Ruest for making this archival interview available.)

Vox Tablet is Tablet Magazine’s weekly podcast, hosted by Sara Ivry and produced by Julie Subrin. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.

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