(JTA) – A meme that compares the requirement to wear masks during the coronavirus to the yellow Stars of David that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust appeared on the Facebook page of a Republican organization in Minnesota.

The Facebook page of the Republican Party of Wabasha County,  where the meme was posted, was removed. The organization told the state Republican Party that it had been hacked. The meme shows an elderly man wearing a yellow Star of David badge pinned to his chest facing down a Nazi officer. “Just put on the star and quit complaining, it’s really not that hard,” the caption said. “Just put on the mask and stop complaining.”

In response to the meme, the Jewish Community Action organization tweeted a screenshot of the meme and added: “Given that Minnesota rabbis recently spoke out in favor of a mask mandate, comparing that mandate to the Holocaust feels especially disgusting. We ask the @MNGOP to tell Wabasha Republicans to stop using imagery like this. It betrays a total lack of both empathy and education.

Jennifer Carnahan, chairwoman of the Minnesota Republican Party, responded with a tweet on Monday night. “This post was brought to @mngop’s attention today. Immediately we reached out to the Wabasha board. They believe this was a hack and are removing their FB page immediately. Our party does not support/condone divisive and harmful posts or language of this nature.”

She retweeted the screenshot with the message.

Main Photo: Illustrative image of a yellow star used to protest coronavirus measures that references the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust, (Arnoud van Doorn/Twitter via JTA)