In the biblical Book of Genesis, Shem is the son of Noah traditionally linked with the ancestor of the Israelites.
Genesis names Shem, Ham, and Japheth as Noah’s three sons. Its genealogies then trace descendants through Shem, including Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, and later generations leading to Terah and Abraham. Because Abraham is the ancestral patriarch of the Israelites in the biblical narrative, Shem is associated with that line.
The term “Semite” was later formed from Shem’s name, although modern linguistic and ethnic classifications are more complex than a simple biblical family tree. The biblical genealogy itself is the basis for the traditional association, not a modern genetic claim.
Ham and Japheth are also important in Genesis and later traditions. Canaan is listed as a son of Ham, not as one of Noah’s three sons. That distinction makes Shem the specific answer when the question asks about the line connected with the Israelites.