Marlene Engelhorn, a German-Austrian heiress whose family fortune is linked to the production of Zyklon B during the Holocaust, is slated to join the next Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The announcement, confirmed by activist groups and widely circulated on social media, places Engelhorn, a vocal critic of inherited wealth, on a vessel aiming to challenge Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. Her participation has ignited significant debate due to the historical context of her family's wealth.
Engelhorn inherited an estimated $27.1 million from her grandmother in 2021. Her lineage traces back to Friedrich Engelhorn, founder of BASF, which later merged into IG Farben, a conglomerate that supplied Zyklon B, the cyanide-based gas used in Nazi death camps. Despite her family's historical ties, Engelhorn has publicly stated she considers her wealth "unjustly inherited" and has advocated for higher taxes on the wealthy through her "Tax Me Now" initiative.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, is a civilian maritime mission that seeks to deliver humanitarian aid and draw international attention to the blockade on Gaza. Recent flotilla attempts, including the vessels Madleen and Handala in June and July 2025, have been intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, with activists detained and deported. The coalition asserts its missions are to challenge what it deems an illegal blockade and to support Palestinian rights.
Critics have swiftly reacted to Engelhorn's involvement, highlighting the profound historical irony. As one Israeli historian reportedly questioned, "How does someone whose family profited from actual genocide now brand Israel - the Jewish state - with the very same terms used to describe Nazi crimes?" The original tweet, by Hen Mazzig, underscored this sentiment, stating, > "A white, privileged, nepo-baby who inherited millions from her Nazi grandparents from the mass murder of Jews is also anti-Israel. I did not see that coming."
Engelhorn's decision to join the flotilla underscores her ongoing activism, which she frames as a fight against "genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation." Her participation brings a new dimension to the long-standing efforts to break the Gaza blockade, intertwining historical accountability with contemporary geopolitical conflict.