By Michael Sudhalter

When Jennifer Troice first learned about the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, she was one of millions worldwide deeply affected by the unspeakable tragedy.

Yet Troice’s trauma was different, as someone who experienced 12 days as a hostage in Mexico City in May 2004.

“I couldn’t stop seeing (Oct. 7) on social media,” said Troice, a 37-year-old Dallas-based sculptor. “I had to turn off my social media, because I couldn’t parent my kids and be in such a dark mental space. I stopped social media, but then I needed to know what was going on, so I controlled how much time I was spending on it.”

A month later, when some Israeli hostages were released, Troice listened closely to their experiences.

“It’s hard to hear people go through that and be on the other side of the world,” said Troice, who grew up in a close-knit Jewish family in Mexico’s capital city.

Before she was kidnapped at age 17 on her way to school, Troice had never sculpted. Immediately after she was released, Troice began sculpting “as a way to heal. All of my pieces were related to the kidnapping.”

She said divine intervention is the only explanation for her sudden interest in sculpting.

Troice’s own experiences, in addition to searching for a way to help Israeli families affected by Oct. 7, inspired her to start Hope Foundry on May 29, 2024 — the 20th anniversary of her release.

Helping Hands sculptures can be purchased for the buyer or donated as a gift, at hope-foundry.com. Either way, one-third of the $180 from each purchase goes toward The Hostages and Missing Families Forum-Hosen Division (Hosen means resilience in Hebrew). It provides mental health services that are not covered by Israeli insurance.

“The goal was always looking into the future and knowing the amount of support they’re going to need,” Troice said.

Over the past two decades, Troice has established herself as a successful sculptor, with installations through the world.

She learned about a Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas trip to Israel for February 2024. It was her third trip to the Jewish state and the most impactful.

“We went everywhere — every one of the most affected areas,” Troice said. “We heard a lot of testimonies. We went to the Nova site, which was very sensory-filled. That’s where we met Yossi Landau, the head of the ZAKA search-and-rescue team. He gave us his testimony, which was very painful to hear. I get chills every time I think of that experience.”

Troice shared her own experiences with families of hostages.

“I brought some of the Helping Hands on the trip and presented one to a resident who had defended Kibbutz Zikim,” Troice said. “His eyes filled with tears and he couldn’t believe it. I also presented a Helping Hands (sculpture) to the commander of a unit who rescued two hostages.”

Troice also met with the family of hostage Almog Meir Jan, who was rescued after eight months in captivity. She was connected to Jan’s family through his uncle, Aviram Meir.

“Almog is now traveling the world, sharing his experience,” Troice said.

How ‘Helping Hands’ started

When she was a high school student in Mexico City, Troice would take a shortcut on the way to school to avoid traffic.

“When you find a sweet spot to cut through traffic, you take it,” Troice said. “I found a spot that was very lonely and thought it was a good idea to go through at the same time.”

Troice’s mother allowed her to drive to school, as long as she traveled with a classmate.

Having a travel companion didn’t change the situation when the two students were stopped at gunpoint and held for ransom for 12 days.

“I was blindfolded the whole time and was on the opposite side of the room from my friend — we weren’t allowed to communicate,” Troice said.

When Troice was released, she sculpted 23 pieces related to her kidnapping experience, starting with her self-portrait.

“It was a way to tell my story so that my community could better understand me and what I’d been through,” Troice said. “I was a different person and I had changed.”

On the one-year anniversary of her release in May 2005, Troice’s mother invited over friends and family — their support network during those heart-wrenching 12 days.

“My mother wanted to thank everyone who had been there for us, so I sculpted a Helping Hands with a scroll inside each one featuring a poem my sister wrote the day I was kidnapped,” said Troice, who has created more than 5,000 Helping Hands sculptures over the past two decades.

Troice published a coffee table book, called “My Silver Lining: Healing Through Art,” which shows her journey through photographs of her sculptures.

For Hope Foundry, Troice has sold 60 Helping Hands, 40 of which have been donated. The first Hope Foundry Helping Hands donation was to be delivered to Israel in early October.