Everton supporters and Jewish social media users were left baffled on Saturday after a photograph of Anne Frank appeared in a video produced by the club to pay tribute to members who died during the pandemic.
A number of apparent prank names were also included.
The clip was deleted from the club’s Twitter account hours later after online users pointed out the error. A re-edited video was posted in its stead.
“We've lost far, far too many Evertonians over the course of the pandemic.
"We wish they could all be here with us today. RIP Blues,” the initial post read.
The club had urged bereaved fans earlier this month to submit photos of their lost loved-ones for a tribute ahead of the first season match on Saturday.
Danny Stone, chief executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, said the club's "thoughtful tribute" had been used "in an attempt to mock Anne Frank."
"This was a young girl murdered by the Nazis. Shame on the fool that submitted it," he said on Twitter.
Everton has not publicly commented, but the Press Association reports club officials were “appalled” by the incident.
Anne Frank’s name began trending on Twitter after the incident.
The Holocaust victim died of typhus in Bergen Belsen in 1945. Her diary, published posthumously, has been translated into dozens of languages.