Eli Rosenbaum
Encyclopedia
Eli M. Rosenbaum was the director of the U.S. DOJ Office of Special Investigations
(OSI), which was primarily responsible for identifying and deporting Nazi war criminals, from 1995 to 2010, when OSI was merged into the new Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section. He is now the Director of Strategy and Policy in the new Section.
, from which he also received his MBA degree. He came to the Justice Department through the Honors Program after his graduation from Harvard Law School
in 1980. He was a trial attorney with OSI from 1980 to 1984, In 1984, Rosenbaum left the Department to work as a corporate litigator and then as general counsel for the World Jewish Congress
. He later returned to OSI in 1988 where he was appointed as Principal Deputy Director. Rosenbaum has been considered a "Nazi hunter" in his professional career and personal life.
Investigation and Cover-Up, a book which allegedly details Waldheim's contribution to war crimes while serving in the German-Austrian military as an officer under the Nazi regime and an alleged effort or conspiracy to whitewash his history. Waldheim had become Secretary General of the
United Nations and later president of 
Austria and was never officially considered to be a suspect in any war crimes.
Waldheim was not in the SS
and held only very low ranks as an officer in the Wehrmacht (regular army). Sources agree that Waldheim may have been aware that partisans (anyone resisting the military operations of
Nazi Germany) were subject to execution, but he held office jobs and did not witness or order this activity. Rosenbaum's stance against Waldheim brought him into conflict with widely respected Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal
who ardently defended Waldheim's innocence of any crimes against humanity or complicity in any unlawful acts of war.
U.S. DOJ Office of Special Investigations
The Office of Special Investigations was a unit within the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice. Its purpose was to detect and investigate individuals who took part in state sponsored acts committed in violation of public international law, such as crimes against humanity.In...
(OSI), which was primarily responsible for identifying and deporting Nazi war criminals, from 1995 to 2010, when OSI was merged into the new Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section. He is now the Director of Strategy and Policy in the new Section.
Education and Career
Rosenbaum graduated summa cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, from which he also received his MBA degree. He came to the Justice Department through the Honors Program after his graduation from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1980. He was a trial attorney with OSI from 1980 to 1984, In 1984, Rosenbaum left the Department to work as a corporate litigator and then as general counsel for the World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
. He later returned to OSI in 1988 where he was appointed as Principal Deputy Director. Rosenbaum has been considered a "Nazi hunter" in his professional career and personal life.
Kurt Waldheim controversy
Rosenbaum was the primary author of Betrayal: The Untold Story of the Kurt WaldheimKurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
Investigation and Cover-Up, a book which allegedly details Waldheim's contribution to war crimes while serving in the German-Austrian military as an officer under the Nazi regime and an alleged effort or conspiracy to whitewash his history. Waldheim had become Secretary General of the
United Nations and later president of Austria and was never officially considered to be a suspect in any war crimes.Waldheim was not in the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
and held only very low ranks as an officer in the Wehrmacht (regular army). Sources agree that Waldheim may have been aware that partisans (anyone resisting the military operations of
Nazi Germany) were subject to execution, but he held office jobs and did not witness or order this activity. Rosenbaum's stance against Waldheim brought him into conflict with widely respected Nazi hunter Simon WiesenthalSimon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
who ardently defended Waldheim's innocence of any crimes against humanity or complicity in any unlawful acts of war.