Welcome To The Neighborhood | 1

Marty Markowitz, a successful businessman, sought therapy from Dr. Isaac Hershkoff in 1981 to manage personal grief and professional stress. Over nearly three decades, this therapeutic relationship devolved into a manipulative dynamic where Hershkoff exerted total control over Marty’s life, including his finances and property. A lavish Hamptons estate, long assumed to be the psychiatrist’s, was actually owned and funded by Marty, who functioned as a de facto servant to his therapist. Through interviews with Marty and neighbors, alongside correspondence from the psychiatrist, the narrative examines the profound psychological and financial exploitation occurring under the guise of mental health treatment. This case highlights the dangerous power imbalance between practitioner and patient, questioning the boundaries of professional ethics and the nature of personal agency when subjected to long-term psychological coercion.