In the News

Click on person’s name for link to source of quote.

“Neustein says that she is appealing to all the Jewish mothers among us. ‘I’m hoping that the Jewish community will embrace this issue and see it as tikkun olam, repairing the world,’ says Neustein. ... ‘As Jews we always have hope,’ she says, adding that her faith has not been compromised by her ordeal. ‘I hope Jewish women will address this.’ ” Vicki Cabot, Contributing Editor, Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, December 2, 2005.

“Make sure everyone knows about the incredible new book available from Barnes and Noble entitled From Madness to Mutiny: Why Mothers Are Running from the Family Courts--and What Can Be Done about It by Amy Neustein and Michael Lesher. If every one of us sent one copy of this book to our local Family Law Judge we would see a huge change in how these cases are handled. I sent one copy to one judge who cares, and he sent 25 copies to 25 other judges, on his own steam and at his own expense! Please try this.” Meera Fox, Executive Director, Child Abuse Solutions, Inc., Berkeley, CA, in post to email list, October 18, 2005.

“False mental health labels applied to protective parents can compromise the judicial process, and can cause courts to do what is most dangerous to abused children – that is, they can cut the children completely off from the parent that believes them and wants to protect them from the abuse they report,” asserts Family Court Reform Coalition Member, Amy Neustein, Ph.D., in an FCRC press release about the PBS documentary Breaking the Silence: Children’s Stories, October 17, 2005.

“The smiling 6-year-old [Sherry] became a different child after the Brooklyn, N.Y., Family Court kept concerned experts from testifying, and awarded her father sole custody. By the age of 8, Sherry appeared dazed and emaciated, and lurid in scarlet lipstick and nail polish. . . . People who are held hostage at any age . . . are being alienated, but not by 'Parental Alienation Syndrome.' ” Anne Grant, The Providence Journal (Opinion: Letters to the Editor) (July 21, 2006)

“The Courts and the Community Failed ... Some New York state matrimonial judges have for the past two decades sabotaged all efforts to bring progressive training for judges and conciliatory mediation to the court system. They favor a system of savage adversarial litigation, which divides and destroys families. Power, whether by connection or money, becomes the decider of the proceedings. ... In the case of Sherry [Neustein-Orbach] and her parents, the Orthodox community should not be embarrassed or afraid to air their dirty linen. Rather, we should learn from this unfortunate situation, so that it will never be repeated.” Henry Meller, Letter to Editor, The Jewish Voice and Opinion, Englewood NJ, Elul 5765 (September 2005) (pg. 85).

“Never again must we allow such abusive behavior toward our children to pass unchallenged. And thank you, Dr. Neustein, for the courage and fortitude you have demonstrated over the last twenty years, and for exposing the full extent of this judicial malfeasance to public scrutiny. At last.” Jeremy H. Griffith, Letter to Editor, The Jewish Voice and Opinion, Englewood NJ, Sivan 5765 (June 2005) (pg. 69)

“From Madness to Mutiny ... the culmination of 20 years of research, studies the cases of 1,000 women across the country who reported that their children had been the victims of sexual abuse, only to find themselves attacked by the family court system, often losing custody of their children.” Shira Schoenberg, The Jewish Advocate, Boston (May 27, 2005)

“ ‘I amassed cases from all over the country and I analyzed them ... I started to write articles and ... to speak on this problem ... Then I realized I had enough for a book.’ ” Daniel Hubbard, Edgewater View, Edgewater, NJ (May 20, 2005)

“... a book shining an unflinching light on the abuses [mothers] have suffered at the hands of misguided family court judges with too much absolute power and too little critical oversight is the only Mother's Day gift that matters. And while it is often tempting to look away from the unvarnished truth, you will find this a hard book to put down, because it is a book that matters.” Jesse Rosenthal, The Residential, Edgewater, NJ (May 2005)

“Finding the Truth ... Jeremiah B. McKenna, former chief counsel to the New York State Senate Committee on Crime and Correction, who made the Neustein case the principal issue of his mid-1980’s investigation into the mistreatment of women in the courts, said the latest developments in her case serve ‘as proof of a continuing conspiracy to conceal the truth of what happened in this case.’ Mr. McKenna said he was suspicious that people involved in the case were currently ‘keeping a close watch on Sherry in a continued effort to suppress the truth.’ While he was pleased with the news that Mr. Rothman may have prompted an investigation, he felt real success would demand ‘nothing short of an investigation by the US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York’.” Susan Rosenbluth, from “Waiting for Sherry Part II: Who Doesn’t Want From Madness to Mutiny Published ... and Why?” The Jewish Voice and Opinion, Englewood NJ, Iyar 5765 (May 2005) (pg. 16)

“A groundswell of activism across the country has also bolstered Neustein... ‘I hope to make myself obsolete,’ Neustein said. ‘I wish this had never happened. No one wants to go through this.’ ” Jennifer Friedlin, The Forward (Dec. 17, 2004) (pg. 6)

“Hats off to Dr. Amy Neustein and attorney Michael Lesher for their courageous, continuous, and unwavering commitment to the issue that screams out to heaven for justice. . . . The court does not need reform, it needs a complete overhaul. The process has begun because of . . . the great people willing to fight for justice for all.” Nadine Taranto, Letter to Editor, The Jewish Voice and Opinion, Englewood NJ, Tevet/Shevat 5767 (January 2007) (pg. 77)

Starting in 2022, the new media company 18forty, which focuses on Jewish social issues, prominently featured Tempest in the Temple as “Recommended Reading” for their series “Abuse in our Community” (see pdf, or web link here — scroll down if necessary).

 

Home • Amy Neustein • Childless Mother
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I Think of My Ancestor’s Manhattan Murder As Time Ticks for Jews — Newsweek (“My Turn” Column)
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