Despite her progressive image, Engelhorn's inherited wealth traces back to Friedrich Engelhorn, her great-grandfather and founder of BASF—one of the companies involved in producing Zyklon B, the poison gas used by the Nazis in the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust.

Engelhorn has gained media attention for her activism and calls for wealth redistribution, yet her family’s fortune is rooted in one of the darkest chapters of Jewish history. 

Her involvement in anti-Israel movements has sparked outrage from Jewish communities who view her actions as deeply hypocritical and offensive.