Elderly social media stars kvetch about lox prices and the lack of public toilets in New York City. In one video, they chant: "2, 4, 6, 8, we just want to urinate!" Their antics have earned the account almost 50,000 followers and a feature in the NY Post.
The group makes merchandise, too, which has been mentioned in the Cut and Vogue. Some items include "Ralph Lifshitz" Ralph Lauren spoof apparel, "OJM solar" sunglasses, and logo-adorned bucket hats.
The person behind the accounts isn't an old Jewish man— yet. His name is Noah Rinsky, and he's a millennial filmmaker whose fascination with old Jewish men began with his father and family friends. Now, he's working on a show about OJM. In an interview, he explains the appeal of his subject.
"I think when I started the account, that in a lot of ways, what I was going for is trying to create a world that appreciated the irreverence of the old Jewish man. The way they act and dress completely ignores the rest of the world. They just exist as if nothing else around them is there. I think that's what people respond to a lot of with Bernie Sanders and Larry David, I mean, the reason why that Bernie Sanders image of him at the inauguration is so compelling is that there is no one even looking at him, he's just sitting there as if he's not being broadcasted to 50 million people or whatever, he just exists in his own atmosphere, and I think that's what's so great about being an OJM."
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