There are differing opinions as to who was the first Jew.
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Abraham, 1813-1638 BCE, is considered by many as the first Jew.
A native of Mesopotamia, he rejected the idolatrous ways of his ancestors and contemporaries; he was the first person to use his own cognitive abilities to discover and recognize the one G‑d. He then actively publicized his newfound monotheistic beliefs among his fellow citizens.
Eventually G‑d revealed Himself to Abraham and commanded him to leave his ancestral home and travel to the land of Canaan (later known as the Land of Israel). G‑d then promised this land as the eternal inheritance of his descendants.
Abraham took upon himself the observance of the mitzvot (divine commandments) and at the age of 99 he followed G‑d’s command to circumcise himself and the men of his household.
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The original name for the people we now call Jews was Hebrews. The word “Hebrew” (in Hebrew, “Ivri”) is first used in the Torah to describe Abraham (Gen. 14:13). The word is apparently derived from the name Eber, one of Abraham’s ancestors. Another tradition teaches that the word comes from the word “eyver,” which means “the other side,” referring to the fact that Abraham came from the other side of the Euphrates, or referring to the fact Abraham was separated from the other nations morally and spiritually.
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The term “Jew” didn’t arise until after the Syro-Ephraimite wars of 735-721 BCE, when the tribe of Judah became the dominant tribe. The first “Jewish” reference [as a national identity] comes no sooner than with its appearance at 2 Kings 16:6 KJV. The Midrash after Rashi establishes the reason why “Jew” is accepted throughout when referring, Talmudically, to any Abrahamic desendant in the Pentateuch.
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Other sources claim that the Jews originated with Jacob’s son Judah.
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