Only in normal times could it possibly be said, as it is often said in our age of multitasking, that “the urgent [matters] are not important and the important are never urgent.” Today is not a normal time; it is a time of horrific violence, when we are facing multiple issues of the utmost moral importance and urgency, more than the human brain has the ability to process. Yet process, we must. And act, we must.

I am speaking, of course, of unfolding events in Israel and Gaza. We are in a situation of moral emergency. And in times of emergency, one must engage in triage. We have to attend to the most urgent matters first; but we cannot neglect the matters that are of equal importance. The only way to manage this complex task is to identify all of the moral tasks we are now called upon to perform, to acknowledge we can’t perform them all in the same instant, but to promise we will perform them all.

Daily headlines, sent straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest at and around USC.

Some of these tasks require immediate attention. This is the very definition of an emergency: action that is necessary to protect people from imminent threats to their lives. Others are of no less importance, and they are also urgent — just not as urgent, for the simple, tragic reason that they pertain to atrocities that have already occurred. Not only is it too late to prevent them; it takes time to process them, to mourn them, to grieve over them.

For those who are mourners, grieving is itself an action imbued with “[the] fierce urgency of now.” It may well feel like we all are mourners now. But in the Jewish tradition, we draw a distinction between the immediate family members, who are direct mourners, and the wider community, whose obligation is to hold and support the mourners. For those of us who have not lost family members, our obligation is to be there for our friends who have had family members killed or taken hostage. But no matter how fierce our identification with the victims, the solemn task of grieving must not override the paramount duty to prevent further violence against innocent civilians.

This is not easy. The only way we can perform these multiple tasks is by recognizing we can’t do them all at once, and by figuring out the right order, and the right time frame, in which to proceed. Contrary to the myth of multitasking, it is not possible for the human brain to perform two tasks that require high-level brain functioning at once. But we can do them sequentially. For me, that means doing all of the following, in this order:

1) Demand an immediate cease-fire and a restoration of water, food and electricity in Gaza and the return of the hostages. There are further horrors to come if we don’t do all in our power to forestall a ground invasion by Israel and stop the bombing and blockade of humanitarian aid that we may still have time to prevent. But only if we engage in urgent action now.

2) Console the mourners. Absorb the gruesome details of the massacre perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli Jews and Arabs and others who live in, or were visiting, Israel. Condemn Hamas. It takes time to process such horrors. The mind rebels. But we can and must confront the facts about the barbaric acts committed by Hamas.

3) Self-reflect and self-educate, individually and in groups, about why it has been so hard for many people and solidarity groups to do both 1) and 2). We must tell ourselves that we can and must do both, and engage in dialogue with others to establish the legitimacy and habit of doing both.

4) Come to the aid of those, especially on campus, who are being retaliated against for failing to do either 1) or 2).

Of course, it is also necessary for Israel to defend its citizens from further violence and contain Hamas, and for justice for Palestine to be delivered. Here it is necessary to confront the fact that although military action may be justified for the sake of legitimate self-defense, there will be no end to the violence on either side until justice for Palestinians is finally delivered. Which is why last, but not least, on my list is:

5) Demand an end to the occupation and equality for Palestinians within Israel — which is to say, demand recognition of the rights of both Palestinians and Jews to a homeland in historic Palestine. And recognize that both have rights to live in peace, under conditions of justice. Understanding the historical context is no less important to bringing about justice and an end to oppression than bringing a halt to the current war. But we cannot hope to achieve these goals unless and until the massive bombing of Gaza is stopped and plans for a ground invasion are halted now.

Nomi Maya Stolzenberg

Nathan and Lilly Shapell Chair

Gould School of Law