Taylor Swift bodyguard to enter a new ‘Era’ — in a tour with the IDF

A man is leaving his ‘dream job’ to fight for his country

Taylor Swift attends the world premier of her Eras Tour concert movie. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

By PJ Grisar October 16, 2023

As the millennial muse sang, “I vowed not to fight anymore if we survived the Great War.” Now, a man who worked as a bodyguard for Taylor Swift has departed to battle Hamas, in what we can only hope will be an end to a violent cycle.

The Israeli-born guard, who was seen with the singer during her Eras Tour, told Israel Hayom, “I have a pretty great life in the U.S., a dream job, great friends and a comfortable home,” but added that he felt called to return to his IDF unit and defend his country. It’s not clear whether the guard worked for Swift personally or for a venue, according to Variety.

“I couldn’t stand by while families were being slaughtered and burned in their homes,” the guard, who asked not to be identified, said. “Don’t stand by and do nothing. Don’t be on the wrong side of history.”

In a statement to Israel Hayom reporter Eran Swissa, the guard said of Hamas that it would “be an insult to animals around the world to call these terrorists ‘animals.’”

The news of the guard’s pivot, from protecting one of the world’s most beloved artists to defending the Jewish state, was shared in a video by Aish.com.

Even before his wartime homecoming became public, the bodyguard had something of a presence on TikTok — users remarked upon his “elite” concentration while escorting Swift off the stage, scanning the audience for threats.

Last week some criticized the Speak Now songwriter for staying silent about the war in Israel but promoting the film of her tour, amid many tabloid headlines about her latest beau, Travis Kelce.

The Swiftie community’s general reaction to the news of her bodyguard’s service wasn’t immediately apparent early Monday, but the fandom had previously encountered drama surrounding the IDF.

In 2019, the operator of the popular Twitter account LegitTayUpdates went to prison when she, in her now iconic words, “refused to join the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) lmao.”

If there was any doubt that Swift is a global icon, a 13-year-old resident of Kfar Aza, near Gaza, told CBS News’ Nora O’Donnell that focusing on an upcoming Taylor Swift concert kept her hopeful while hiding from Hamas for 16 hours.

The teen will, most likely, have to see Swift outside of Israel, though — she isn’t scheduled to play the country, and never has, much to the dismay of fans.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to better clarify that it is not clear whether the guard worked personally for Swift or one of the arenas she played.

PJ Grisar is a Forward culture reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and @pjgrisar on Twitter.

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