If the legend that sem- came from a guy named Shem is true and if the guy was a Jew, than that's probably what Semiticists had in mind. It's ironically very racist to try to group people under this label, isn't it?
@vectory "Legend"? The word Semite most definitely and provably derives from the name Shem in the book of Genesis. Whether Shem was an actual historical person is irrelevant.
@vectory Regardless of weather Shem really existed, he could hardly be described as Jewish. His (also mythological) descendant Abraham is general seen as the father of Judaism.
