ABSTRACT
The family stands at the center of Israeli society so it follows that marriage and children are expected of most young people. However, many Israelis come of age during their mandatory military service, which shapes and defines their young adulthood in various ways. This chapter uses the case of a wounded Israeli soldier involved in sexual rehabilitation to illustrate the ways in which relational sexuality is integral to the Israeli experience. Because of the relational emphasis, sexual surrogates are used in Israel more often and more openly than elsewhere in the world. The fact that this chapter also highlights the treatment of someone with a disability makes this a chapter that in many ways deals with two cultures, that of Israel and that of the disabled.
