AMNA NAWAZ: Far from the front lines# of the Israel-Gaza war that's raged on## for the last eight months, Americans are grappling## with the new and old divisions the# conflict has created here in the U.S. Judy Woodruff recently visited# Southeastern Pennsylvania to## hear from Americans on different# sides of this difficult conflict.

Our initial plan was to interview# them as a group together, but,## after meeting resistance to that,# we held two separate conversations.

This story is part of Judy's ongoing# series America at a Crossroads and## was produced with help from# our friends at PBS39 WLVT-TV.

JUDY WOODRUFF: For the eight# people we brought together,## one group more supportive of the# Israelis, the other the Palestinians,## the pain brought on by the attacks of October# 7 and Israel's war on Hamas was palpable.

RUTHI LYNN, Orthodox Jew: There's a life# before October 7 and there's a life after.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Ruthi Lynn, a mother# of eight and an Orthodox Jew,## said her life would never be the same.

RUTHI LYNN: Everything from how I parent my# children, how I send them to school, how I conduct## myself publicly, where I go, who I speak to, what# I look at on social media, everything has changed.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Aliyah Furman Stanger,# a mom to two young children, agreed.

ALIYAH FURMAN STANGER, Mother: There is a## delineation now in my .. My husband came and he woke me up.

And he said:## "There's an invasion in# Israel and it's really bad."

And the first thing we did, we# both have so much family in Israel,## that we just started calling them and what's# happening to them to see if they're OK. And## they were hysterical.

They were scared.

There# was so much confusion around what was happening.

DAN SEGAL, Attorney: I mean,# Israel is a small country,## so everybody -- everybody knew somebody, not six# degrees of conne.. JUDY WOODRUFF: Dan Segal is an# attorney from the Philadelphia area.

DAN SEGAL: It's awful.

It should be condemned.# Israel has not a right of defense.

It has an## obligation to defend itself.

And# what happened had to be condemned,## at the very same time that one had to# look sort of beyond the horizon or to## see a horizon of somehow how do we make# sure that this never, ever happens again?

JUDY WOODRUFF: But there is not# unanimity among American Jews.

ALLISON MICKEL, Critical of Israeli# Government: For weeks, I was waking up## to images sent through WhatsApp of just body# parts of children that I will never unsee.

And, yes, I don't sleep well.

I# haven't slept well in a long time.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Allison Mickel, has# worked extensively in the Middle## East, but has been publicly# critical of the Israeli government.

ALLISON MICKEL: I think people# act like it's impossible,## but it actually is very possible and very# easy to hold both mourning and sadness## and worry for people who were attacked# unsuspectingly, but also to know that## the other shoe is going to drop and to just# know it's going to be so bad and so bloody.

JUDY WOODRUFF: We have seen# unfold an ongoing Israeli## response toward Gaza.

How has this affected you?

RAYA ABDELAAL, Palestinian Muslim# American: It's changed my whole life.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Raya Abdelaal, a Palestinian Muslim# American, is deeply sympathetic with.. RAYA ABDELAAL: It made me see the world very# differently.

When people are watching buildings## being bombed by another country and we're# watching parents holding their dead children,## and the international response is,# they deserve this, that blew my mind,## that that is what we're allowing to happen,# because we are all complicit in this.

I felt responsible as well.

I'm an# American citizen.

I pay tax money.## That tax money is going towards killing# Palestinians, and I'm Palestinian.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Pakistani Muslim American# Riffat Chughtai has previously worked on## building interfaith connections# in times of attacks on Muslims,## but told me, in this instance,# Israeli policies were at fault.

RIFFAT CHUGHTAI, Pakistani Muslim# American: And when I went over there,## everything that we had heard about the# disparities between both the nation.. Israel and Palestine, it became very obvious.

I mean, there's no comparison,# because Palestinians have lived## in camps for years and years.

How# much progress can that entail?

JUDY WOODRUFF: Sam Kuttab, a Christian# Palestinian who came to the U.S. in 1970,## was clear to condemn the October 7 attacks.

SAM KUTTAB, Christian Palestinian:# We had to call it what it is.

And I## saw a lot of Palestinians refusing# to do that.

That was -- to them,## it was a glimmer of hope.

For me,# it was just a wrong thing to do.

So I think we had to immediately# take that step.

Some of us did that.

JUDY WOODRUFF: But Kuttab also stresses# Israel bears its share of responsibility.

SAM KUTTAB: I do not condone October 7.

But# when you bring a people and take every bit## of hope away from them and destroy it,# and get on TV and say, once in a while,## we have to go and mow the field, which# Netanyahu says, basically killing Palestinians.

JUDY WOODRUFF: At the same time, many# Jewish Americans say they are still trying## to process the far-reaching impact of this# war here in the U.S. and in the Middle East.

RUTHI LYNN: To be perfectly honest, I feel# extremely scared, scared for the future## of the Jewish people,scared for the Jewish# people in America, scared for my own family.

ALIYAH FURMAN STANGER: This is still# happening.

The bodies are still warm.## It's hard for me to say, this is the time.# I need to mourn.

We all need to mourn.

And I stand unequivocally behind Israel in its# war effort, not just for the sake of my people,## not just for the sake of Israel, for the sake# of Palestinians.

If Hamas is not eliminated,## it is just a matter of time# until this happens again.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Such a painful# subject for each one of you and## for so many more.

How is it affecting your# friends, people you know, people you see?

DAN SEGAL: In a word, it's# a challenge.

I find that,## with respect to certain social acquaintances,## both on the left and the right, there is a# polarization that has set in that makes it## very difficult to talk and -- to talk to them and# to understand them, because there's no listening.

RABBI BETH JANUS, Reform Rabbi: Within the# Jewish community, we are not completely united.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Beth Janus is a Reform rabbi.

RABBI BETH JANUS: And there's a lot# of people who live in this country,## in the American Jewish community,# Americans in general who do not want death,## who do not want conflict, who want to see this# resolved.

And so we have to engage each other.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Allison Mickel, however, deplored# the fact that part of the Jewish-American panel,## who oppose her activist statements and# strong criticisms of Israeli policy,## didn't want to sit alongside her.

ALLISON MICKEL: It's disingenuous, to me, to say# that we want to have these hard conversations,## and to be so nervous about even just having# a dissenting Jewish voice in this space.

To be really honest, I feel like I am# met with closed doors over and over## again and accusations and middle# fingers and angry phone calls,## and literally being moved to a different table# to -- when I try to have those conversations.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Ruthi Lynn said her tight-knit# Jewish Orthodox community grew closer,## but said she's lost friends outside of that.

RUTHI LYNN: I would say I have lost a# lot of friends for my pro-Israel views.## I am completely rethinking where I'd ever# send my children to college.

And I'd be## perfectly happy if they did an online degree# and didn't set foot onto a university campus.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Palestinian Muslim# American Raya Abdelaal says,## while she has made new friends, she# too was let down by her old ones.

RAYA ABDELAAL: I lost a lot of people, a lot of# friends from college that I thought would reach## out and ask, what's happening?

Like, are you OK?# But they didn't reach out.

And some of them posted## for Israel, but didn't post for Palestine.# And they have known me their whole lives.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Still, Sam Kuttab# says he's been able to reach across## religious divisions and forge new relationships.

SAM KUTTAB: I made more friends in the last# seven months with them than I have done in## the last 65 years.

I have been to seders.

I# have been to Hanukkah, lighting Hanukkahs.

JUDY WOODRUFF: You have new Jewish friends?

SAM KUTTAB: Yes.

And I have# been to synagogues.

And guess## what?

I find out that we have so much in common.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Riffat Chughtai said# establishing ground rules helps.

RIFFAT CHUGHTAI: Whenever it gets to a point of# disagreeing with each other, we tell each other --## we have had this rule from the beginning -- after# 9/11, that we will not fight with each other,## we will back off.

And then we will re-continue# the conversation after everybody has calmed down.

JUDY WOODRUFF: This technique didn't# work with everyone in our panels.

Some## on both expressed disappointment# for different reasons with the## U.S. response, with clear anger and# resentment toward President Biden.

ALIYAH FURMAN STANGER: I think he visited# Israel in a time of war.

He said, his words,## not mine, his commitment to Israel is ironclad.

And I don't think it is now.

He seems to be# giving in to a small, but loud minority, and## he seems to be putting politics before morality.# He has put pressure on Israel, immense pressure,## and that has slowed the war effort.

And that# has cost both Israeli and Palestinian lives.

RAYA ABDELAAL: Like, what of -- a failure of# an administration.

I door-knocked for Biden## when he was running against Trump.

And I feel all# these communities have been thrown under the bus.

To watch millions of people being starved and say# nothing and to continuously say I have a red line## and stand back while Israel commits a genocide# and do nothing, I mean, what is the message here?

JUDY WOODRUFF: There are a# few sympathetic to Biden.

DAN SEGAL: I'm very supportive of what# President Biden has done.

I think he## cares for Israel to his core.

I think he deeply# respects Israel.

I think the pressure that he## is putting on Israel is designed for the# benefit of Israel and the Palestinians.

And I think the -- it is only through# pressure from the United States on both## sides that we're going to come to a resolution.

JUDY WOODRUFF: But the idea of# reconciliation is still hard for some.

RUTHI LYNN: I'm not minimizing the importance# of long-term discussion and bridging gaps and## patience, tolerance.

But there is another# part of me in -- which just says, OK,## this is great, but here we go again.

This# isn't our first rodeo as the Jewish people.

We have hostages.

We have 19-year-old,## 20-year-old soldiers being killed.# We have generational trauma.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Even so, there# were glimmers of guarded hope.

RIFFAT CHUGHTAI: I believe in the# two-state solution.

I believe very## strongly this has been the United# States' policy.

But the solution## has to be equitable and amicable and# also agreed upon by all, both parties,## which has never happened before.

Peace can# never be sustained if it is not equitable.

RABBI BETH JANUS: Our hearts are big enough# to have compassion for our own people and for## Palestinian people, innocent Palestinian people,# those who are innocent Palestinian people.

And it's not that our hearts that can be big# enough, but they must be big enough.

My Jewish## values tell me that everyone, every human being# on this planet is created in the image of God,## and we are not going to get to a solution by# killing tens of thousands of people in Gaza.

JUDY WOODRUFF: There is no mistaking the pain felt# on both sides.

We were grateful to each panelists## for agreeing to sit down with us and look forward# to the time when they will all sit together.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Judy# Woodruff in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.