A security guard who protected Taylor Swift during her Eras Tour this summer is now back home in Israel to fight for his country against Hamas.
Variety has confirmed that the security guard, who wishes to keep his name anonymous, made the choice to leave the United States to join the IDF reserves as he saw the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israeli citizens.
Eran Swisa, an Israeli journalist from “Israel Today,” broke the news that the security guard who worked with Swift had left America to fight in the IDF. Swisa tells Variety that he was born at a Kibbutz in Israel but had been working in America.
It is not clear whether the security guard was employed by Swift or the tour stadium, or how closely he worked with the star. Swift’s rep did not respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
“I got a pretty great life back in the U.S.,” Swift’s former security guard told Swisa, in a statement that he shared with Variety. “I got an amazing dream job that I love, great friends that I call family and a very comfortable home. I didn’t HAVE to come here… But I could not stand on the sidelines while families are being slaughtered and burned alive in their homes!!! Just for being Jewish or for being Israelis.”
This summer, Swift’s security guard went viral on social media for protecting Swift while she was on tour. Fans commented on his security detail, as he carefully watched over the star.
The guard condemns Hamas in his statement, and urges people to stand with Israel and not stay silent.
“While one side is protecting babies, kids and the elderly, the other side is using those as human shields!!! It’ll be an insult to animals worldwide to call them ‘animals’ but those are not human beings,” the guard says of Hamas. “They killed and slaughtered families in their beds alongside family’s [sic] pets!!!! And then they burned the houses down!!!! Try to imagine that happening in your own neighborhood, to your next door neighbors or to a family you know.”
“I’m not only standing here with Israel and actually standing here. I’m standing here with humanity,” the guard said to Swisa, who posted about the news on his TikTok and Instagram. “Don’t be on the wrong side of history!! Don’t stand on the sidelines and say nothing… Stand with Israel, stand with HUMANITY!!!!!”
Swift, so far, has not said anything publicly about the Israel-Hamas war. The pop star is currently promoting the release of her “Eras Tour” film, which topped the box office this weekend. Over the past week since the war broke out, she also attended an NFL game to watch her rumored boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and made a cameo appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” after which she was seen holding hands with Kelce in paparazzi pictures.
Asked if Swift plans to make a statement about Israel and Gaza, or has made a donation to humanitarian efforts in the Middle East, a representative for the singer did not respond to Variety‘s request for comment. Over the weekend, Swift’s close friends, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, donated $1 million to help children in Israel and Gaza, sources tell Variety.
