OSI DIRECTOR ELI ROSENBAUM, right, pins an OSI pin on the lapel of Lewis and Clark Law School Dean Robert Klonoff in recognition of his appearance before the Supreme Court in a case to deport a Nazi war criminal. Rosenbaum was in Portland Jan. 21 to speak about the Office of Special Investigations’ pursuit of Nazi war criminals in the United States. The OSI pins were designed after the “temporary” office created in 1979 to track perpetrators of World War II-era crimes became a permanent office in 2004 when its mission was expanded to track perpetrators of post-World War II human rights violations.

DEBORAH MOON

Director: Justice, deterrence keep OSI pursuing Nazis

By DEBORAH MOON

article created on: 2009-02-01T00:00:00

Eli Rosenbaum, director of the Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Dept. of Justice, captivated about 200 people Jan. 21 when he spoke about some of the more memorable Nazi war criminals he has pursued and prosecuted in the past two decades.

Rosenbaum spoke at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center at a lecture hosted by Lewis and Clark Law School, Solomon’s Legacy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center.

Rosenbaum said he is frequently asked why the OSI continues to pursue Nazis, many of whom are now in their 80s. To deter perpetrators of future genocides and to seek justice for the victims make OSI’s work essential, he said. 

There is no statue of limitations on the worst crimes,” he said. “Perpetrators of genocide of such enormous gravity have to be brought to justice no matter how late the date. … Mere passage of time in no way lessens the gravity of these cases.”

“We have a moral imperative to help prevent the repetition of such crimes,” he said. “It’s a powerful deterrent precisely because of the passage of time. I hope some who might consider (genocide) will reconsider when they realize old Nazi criminals are brought to court.”

>In terms of seeking justice for survivors, Rosenbaum said tracking the perpetrators is just part of the effort. He said the inadequacy of the financial renumeration is especially evident if you look the financial award in any court case involving a homicide and multiply that by the 6 million Jews killed.

“There should be no survivors living in poverty while Germany exists as on of the wealthiest countries,” he said.

Rosenbaum spoke about numerous Nazis his office has tracked. From the architect of the anti-Jewish pogroms carried out on Kristalnacht to “trigger pullers of the Holocaust” to “desk murderers” who signed papers ordering mass murder, Rosenbaum said he never heard one perpetrator express remorse.

Rosenbaum said one of the major frustrations of working at OSI is that the United States only has jurisdiction to revoke a war criminal’s citizenship and deport them. Rosenbaum said he spends a lot of time trying to convince European governments to accept their former citizens and to prosecute them for their crimes.

Yet he said that while OSI staffers sometimes wonder if they can continue in the face of such frustration, they do so because “we see how horrible the cruelty and premeditation of these crimes.” 

He said the fact that a government sponsored genocide “in a sustained effort that averaged killing 3,000 Jews every day for years … compels continuing action within law enforcement.” 

The audience rose in a prolonged standing ovation as Rosenbaum concluded, “It is the great privilege of my life to be part of that effort. To pledge the Department of Justice will continue to the fight for justice for victims of Nazi crimes and other crimes against humanity.”