One Direction star and perennial heartbreaker Harry Styles has been ranked 73rd in The Jewish Chronicle’s list of the 100 most influential figures shaping Jewish life in the U.K., ahead of 27 fully-fledged MOTs—including rabbis, philanthropists, and community leaders. Before you work yourself into a frenzy worthy of this hysterical mob, let’s make one thing clear: Styles isn’t Jewish. The Chronicle is aware of this, but decided to honor the singer anyway. “The One Direction star may not be Jewish,” they explain, “but he seems very much at ease with a Jewish lifestyle.”

Styles does appear to be pretty keen on the Jews, an affinity that many have attributed to the pop star’s friendship with Ben Winston, a Jewish music video director. Styles fasted on Yom Kippur, wore a Star of David necklace to last year’s Teen Choice Awards, and had his sister’s name tattooed on his arm in Hebrew lettering. As it turns out, Styles also looks pretty good in a kippah. According to the Chronicle, “millions of British teens have become familiar with Purim, Pesach, and schepping nachas,” thanks to Styles’ enthusiastic tweets about all things Jewish.

While tattoos, necklaces, and kippahs do not a Jew make, I for one am happy to see honorary tribal membership bestowed on anyone who publicly proclaims their love for “shmorreh matzah.” And now that Styles has been welcomed into the Jewish fold, Rolling Stone reports that the pop star has buried the hatchet with ex Taylor Swift. All is right in the world.

Brigit Katz is a graduate student at NYU’s Journalism Institute, and an intern at Tablet Magazine. You can find her on Twitter at @brigitkatz. 

Related: One Direction’s Harry Styles Isn’t Jewish

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2012 was quite a year for viral videos. From the wacky to the touching to the downright graphic, here are the most memorable Jewish contributions:

1. The Meme-Ender

Olympic gold medalist and Jewish golden girl Aly Raisman went Gangnam Style, and it was a little confusing.

2. The School of Rock Remix

Israeli kids cover Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and it is all sorts of awesome.

3. The Dancing Jews

“Is it the look in your eyes, or is it these dancing Jews?” Isaac Lamb asked girlfriend Amy Frankel in this elaborate song-and-dance proposal. Yes, a million times yes.

4. The JDate Proposal

Not to be outdone, Eric LaBarre tangoed his way through an even more elaborate musical proposal for girlfriend Nina Sturtz, who he met on JDate. The highlights:

He’s filmed taking the train to her parents house in White Plains to ask for permission—while she’s in Israel on a Birthright trip. Then he tells his mom and brother, two of her friends, and even her ex-boyfriend, and dances in the street with some of his friends.

5. The Sarah Silverman Proposition

The Jewish comedian got graphic—for a cause. She memorably offered to scissor gazillionaire Sheldon Adelson if he donated the $100 million he pledged to Romney to Obama instead. We all know how that turned out.

(Art by Margarita Korol)

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Thanks to the kids rock orchestra at the Artic Music School in Israel, the Internet is now complete. Their cover of Taylor Swift’s dubstep-lite “I Knew You Were Trouble” (which might be about one of the guys from New Direction?) would totally sweep Glee’s New Directions at Regionals. Move over, Rachel Berry.

I can’t decide what the best part of this video is: the girls’ adorable Israeli accents, the guitar section rocking out during the chorus, or the badass drummer with the long hair. It’s probably the way the conductor walks out at the end.

You’re welcome, world:

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Jewcy crush Rashida Jones continued her talk show awesomeness (remember when she called out Mel Gibson for hating Jews on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens?) when she stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thanksgiving.

They sang an incredible four minute-long holiday-themed pop song parody medley, hitting all the major targets: Taylor Swift (“We are never, ever, ever wearing ugly sweaters”), Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” (“Pass the Gravy”), and even the somewhat tired Gangnam Syle (“Open Eggnog Style”). Jones obviously has a secret good voice, and pulls off the whole thick-framed-glasses-with-a-dress look.

But the highlight by far was when they started whistling the tune of Flo Rida’s catchy, gross-sounding song “Blow My Whistle,” and Fallon pulls a dreidel out of his pocket. “Can you spin my dreidel baby, dreidel baby, let me know,” Fallon rasps. “Girl I know that you’re not Jewish so I’ll start real slow.” It’s weird, since Jones is Jewish, but whatever. Then she breaks it down: “Just put your fingertips together and you say Shalom,” which is definitely not how we play dreidel at my house, but again, whatever. Do your thing, Jones:

Previously: Rashida Jones Tweets Awkward Childhood Photos to Promote Her New Movie
Lena Dunham Finally Got To Meet Jimmy Fallon
Rashida Jones Skillfully Describes How Mel Gibson Feels About Jews

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• Hurricane Sandy’s unlikely effect? A meat market uptown when the Yeshiva University Stern girls were transferred uptown to the boys’ campus. [Jewish Week]

• A new study out of Jerusalem reports that attractive women are more likely to act the way society wants them to. Or something. [Huffington Post]

• Horror writer R.L. Stine’s drink of choice? Ginger Ale. [NY Mag]

• Jake Gyllenhaal, still on Broadway, and probably still kicking himself for not giving Taylor Swift that scarf back before her new album came out. [NY Post]

• Chelsea Handler, off the market. [Huffington Post]

• Where did Clueless creator Amy Heckerling get the inspiration to make a vampire movie? “I’m a night person and I’d like to not get older.” [The Daily]

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While today has been filled with the news that Taylor Swift and summer fling Conor Kennedy might, in fact, never ever ever get back together, that’s not the only thing brewing in the Swift-iverse.

The singer opened up to Bon Appetit about what’s in her fridge (“Diet Coke 4 ever”) and how summer is so much better when you know how to grill. Then she referenced that most hallowed Jewish culinary institution, brisket:

What about home? What’s the favorite dish your mom makes?

TS: Her brisket and pot roast are out of this world. She also makes toffee with brown sugar, chocolate chips, butter, and Saltines. Those are high-calorie days for me.

Taylor Swift—she’s just like us!

What’s in Taylor Swift’s Fridge? [Bon Appetit]

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