Prosecutor Details Pursuit of Mineola Nazi Criminal

Eli Rosenbaum’s Westbury roots are not his only connection to Nassau County.

The Long Island native – and longest-serving Nazi hunter in world history – is credited with prosecuting Mineola resident Boleslavs Maikovskis, the only Nassau County resident ever prosecuted for WWII Nazi-related crimes.

Rosenbaum visited Glen Cove on Tuesday and presented never-before-seen Nazi criminal war documents at the .

“I have some very rare material that has come here from the Justice Dept. relating to Maikovskis,” Rosenbaum said. “It has never been seen publicly in the west before.”

While Rosenbaum worked on Maikovskis’ case over twenty years ago, he remains the longest-serving prosecutor and investigator of Nazi criminals in world history.

Rosenbaum has worked for the U.S Dept. of Justice for 25 years and currently serves as Director, Human Rights Enforcement Strategy and Policy, of Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Criminal Division, U.S Dept. of Justice.

Holocaust survivor Charlotte Gillman – and mother of Rosenbaum's childhood friend Jack – joined the presentation and shared her story of surviving as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Belgium.

Rosenbaum's presentation focused on the Long Island connection to Nazi criminals, specifically Maikovskis’ case. 

The slide show featured photos of Maikovskis’ Mineola home, located at 232 Grant Avenue.

Rosenbaum said he was shocked to learn that Nazi criminals were living on his beloved Long Island.

“That was within bicycle trip distance – easy – of where I and Jack were growing up,” Rosenbaum said. “I could have bicycled to Mineola in 15 minutes.”

Maikovskis immigrated to the United States in 1951, where he eventually lived and worked as a carpenter in Mineola, according to Rosenbaum. The former Nazi was set for deportation to USSR in 1987 when he fled to West Germany.