The president of the prestigious American University of Harvard, Claudine Gay, resigned on Tuesday after facing harsh criticism over her handling of anti-Semitism on campus after the Gaza conflict, and accusations of plagiarism in her academic work.

Gay has come under fire in recent months after reports emerged alleging she did not properly cite academic sources. The latest allegations came Tuesday and were posted anonymously on a conservative online outlet.

But the chancellor also became embroiled in controversy after she refused to say unequivocally whether the call for genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s code of conduct, during a congressional hearing along with the chancellors of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania month.

Gay, who made history as the first black person to lead the powerful university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in her resignation letter that she had been the victim of personal attacks and racism.

“It has been difficult to see my commitment to standing up to hate and upholding academic rigor questioned… and terrifying to be the target of personal attacks and threats fueled by racism,” Gay wrote.

Her downfall comes after the Harvard Corporation, which governs the university, initially backed her following the PR disaster her testimony before Congress meant for the institution.

But the body did criticize the university’s initial response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, which Israel said killed 1,200 people and took another 240 hostage. The Israeli offensive has left much of Gaza in ruins and killed at least 22,185 people, mostly women and children, according to Israel’s Health Ministry.

Lawmakers called for his resignation

More than 70 lawmakers, including two Democrats, called for Gay’s resignation. Several high-profile Harvard alumni and donors also called for his departure.

Still, more than 700 Harvard professors had signed a letter supporting the chancellor, and her job seemed safe.

The dismissal, which was first reported on Tuesday by the Harvard Crimson student newspaper, was confirmed by Gay himself shortly afterwards. “It is with great regret but deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as chancellor,” Gay said in a statement.

In the United States, the controversy over anti-Semitism on campuses stemmed from an increase in attacks and violent rhetoric against Jews and Muslims, including on universities, since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close US ally, said a “huge wave of anti-Semitism” has “invaded university campuses.” Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, has described it as a “cancer.”

Billionaire alumnus and donor Bill Ackman stated in a letter to Harvard’s boards of trustees that “Chancellor Gay’s failures have led to billions of dollars in donations to the university being cancelled, paused and withdrawn.”

Gay, 53, was born in New York to Haitian immigrant parents. She is a professor of political science and in July became the first black president of Harvard, founded 368 years ago.

“The failure of leadership and the denial of anti-Semitism comes at a price. I hope that the glorious Harvard University learns from this deplorable behavior,” wrote Israel’s new Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, in response to reports of Gay’s impending departure. (JO)