Shem is the son of Noah traditionally associated with the ancestors of the Israelites.
Genesis names Shem, Ham, and Japheth as Noah’s three sons. Later genealogy in Genesis 11 traces Abraham’s family line through Shem’s descendants, making Shem the traditional ancestor associated with the Semitic peoples and, within the biblical genealogy, the Israelites. The term “Semitic” itself was formed from Shem’s name in later scholarship.
The genealogy proceeds from Shem to descendants including Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Terah, and Abraham. Abraham is then presented as the ancestor of the Israelite nation through Isaac and Jacob. This makes the answer a genealogical association rather than a claim that Shem personally founded Israel.
Ham and Japheth have different roles in biblical genealogical traditions. Genesis 10 presents nations descending from all three sons, while Canaan is listed as one of Ham’s sons, not as one of Noah’s sons. That distinction is a frequent source of confusion in questions about the Ark family.