The oldest son of Noah and brother of Ham and Japheth (Genesis 5:32). "From these three sons the whole earth was people," since they were the only survivors of the Flood (Genesis 9:19). Those descended from Shem--Hebrews, Arabs, Aramaeans (Genesis 10:22-31)--were called Shemites, the equivalent of the modern word Semites.
I was told by a Sephardi Jew (that’s what he called himself. I went to a public school system K-12 that was 80% comprised of Jews) that only the Sephardi’s true Semites, and they are a minority, and the “oppressed” poor Jews. That the “elite” majority Ashkenazim Jews are descendants of converts from Eastern Europe and South Western Asia.