Gad Elmaleh: être d’ailleurs

 

Ask our students what word comes to mind when they hear the name Gad, as I have done these past few days, and what one hears is simple. Mais c’est impossible, monsieur. A single word could never capture his gift for making you fall out of your chair with laughter, said one student. For making you laugh for two hours straight and forget everything else, echoed another. For getting hundreds of people to laugh at exactly the same time, someone else went on. Genius would be my choice, a student finally proposed, but the beaming smile on her face said much, much more.

And they knew of what they were talking, these articulate young critics, because they had just witnessed the remarkable Gad Elmaleh in action, during an hour-long discussion (watch the video above) which two of their upper school peers had conducted with him in the LFNY Cultural Center, with every seat taken. I am sure that countless other students, in both our primary and secondary classes, would share this enthusiasm. After all, Mr. Elmaleh, one of the most revered comedians and comic actors on the planet, someone of immeasurable acclaim throughout the Francophone world, had spent four hours at the Lycée Français de New York last Wednesday afternoon, including not only his appearance in our auditorium, but a 30-minute interview with our fifth grade televised newscast team and a two-hour master class with our tenth through twelfth grade thespians.

Gad Elmaleh leading a masterclass with our tenth through twelfth grade thespians.

His exceptional wit, brimming with equally exceptional kindness, had an exceptionally uplifting impact on our students, as if each of Gad Elmaleh’s jokes somehow shed light for them on joys of the human adventure which might otherwise have gone unnoticed. That our esteemed guest would take such time to visit with our young people is testimony to the very reasons for which the LFNY is honoring him with the Charles de Ferry de Fontnouvelle Award at our 17th Annual Gala, being held at the Park Avenue Armory on Saturday, February 6. Our theme this year, “Dream Big: Faites des Rêves Immenses,” celebrates the importance for our students of having bold dreams for the future and of pursuing them with courage, creativity and compassion, which is precisely what Mr. Elmaleh persuaded them to do on Wednesday afternoon. Dreams are about daring and giving, one middle schooler replied when I asked what she would remember from her encounter with Gad Elmaleh. “Je voulais qu’il reste des choses, pour eux et pour moi,”* Gad Elmaleh had replied to one of our students, when asked about his reasons for visiting our school. What will remain for you, was therefore my question?

Gad Elmaleh on the stage of our auditorium, guiding a student in a special masterclass on January 27.

Mr. Elmaleh came to New York and is learning English and is doing stand-up comedy in a different culture, she continued, when he could’ve just stayed in Europe and lived a great life where everyone already loves him. I really respect his move, our student said, because it makes me realize that I love new challenges too and hope to be like him one day. Not on stage, she chuckled, but in life. Our conversation turned next to Gad Elmaleh’s repeated observations about the wonders of always being from “elsewhere”, whether in Morocco, France, Canada, the United States or any country at all. His different cultures are what make him brave, was her conclusion.

I could go on and on about what our students have been relaying since Wednesday afternoon. Please allow me instead to say how truly thankful we will always be to Mr. Elmaleh for so generously sharing his talents with the youngest among us. Our heartfelt gratitude as well to everyone who organized this unforgettable event, from Pascale Richard, Director of the LFNY Cultural Center, and Terri Putt, Director of Development, to Jeff Rogers and Daphnée Marchini-Block from our primary team, and Isabelle Milkoff, Nathalie Roussel, Frédéric Yvelin and Marie-Hélène Brabant from our secondary faculty. And last, but certainly not least: deepest appreciation and admiration to the three Co-Chairs of our 2016 Gala: Ranika Cohen, Vanessa Landau and Mariu Tovar. Their pioneering vision and tireless efforts have been all the more inspiring because they have so brilliantly reminded us of that foundational principle which is bound to make February 6th a huge success: everything we do is for our students!

*”I wanted something to remain, both for me and for them.”


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