This study analyzes Israeli students' memories of television in the context of family life, and considers culture and systems as well. The study was geared toward broadening the understanding of individuals' perceptions of the role of television in the family, as well as gaining insight into the collective story or stories of life with television in Israel. Forty-three Israeli university students were asked to write about their personal histories and experiences of and with television; similar autobiographies by American students from a study in the late 1980s were used for comparison. The analysis of the autobiographies covered the categories of television use, interaction, play and imitation, cognition, emotions, consumer behavior, and national identity/world knowledge. The analysis showed that most respondents had pleasant memories of watching the children's programs on ITV, remembered the introduction of color television, and grew up in families that did not limit viewing, except perhaps for homework time. Many remembered television as a tool for bringing the family together; the introduction of cable was seen to cause disagreements over what to watch. Many students reported a feeling of nostalgia for earlier days when the family watched together, and many expressed a kind of fear of the new television environment for children. Some wrote about the importance of the medium during times of crisis. Television seemed to become less important to students as they pursued university studies and developed critical attitudes toward it. Respondents from non-majority groups--for example, Israeli Arabs--reported somewhat different experiences with the medium. (Contains 10 references.) (EV)