The controversial DNB Bank credit card with an unflattering image of a Jew. Photo: Hallelu Foundation.

JNS.org – A credit card issued by a Norwegian bank sparked a controversy by featuring an antisemitic cartoon that resembles a throwback to the Nazi era.

The DNB Bank card features an unflattering image of a large-nosed Jewish man wearing a prayer shawl that bears the Star of David, grinning in front of a pile of gold coins. An Australian citizen who discovered the card sent it to the Hallelu Foundation for the Advancement of Israel’s Global Image, a group established three months ago to combat global anti-Israel sentiment and portrayals. The foundation published a picture of the card on Facebook, garnering thousands of responses.

“We also contacted the bank, and the vice president apologized within hours. They also apologized on our Facebook page, claiming that [the cartoon] had been the initiative of an individual and was not bank policy,” the foundation told Israel Hayom.

In a letter of apology, the bank’s vice president wrote, “The card was issued by a system that allows our customers to upload their own images and have them printed on the card issued for them. However, we have strict guidelines for what images are allowed to be uploaded, and the oversight is done manually….Unfortunately, the manual oversight failed in this particular case, and we are very sorry about it. This card should never have been printed. We intend to contact the customer, freeze the card and issue him a card without an image.”