Quoted from CICERO

It gets even crazier.  Abraham and Sarah were not Jewish by lineage either, they were converts.  The reason Isaac is considered jewish is because he followed "God" and Ishmael didn't.  Ishmael didn't convert.

Quoted from Sombody

Convert ? are u kidding ? When was that ?

Are you  a Jehovah witness ? cause i know they make up a lot of their own stuff too.

Quoted Text

Question: Was Abraham the first Jew? Was he a Convert?

Answer: You are asking a great question. In Jewish tradition, Abraham is indeed considered the very first Jew. This title is bestowed on him for he was the first person in the world to arrive, on his own, to a recognition of God as Master of the World. Although people before him acknowledged the existence of a God, their knowledge was based on external information: a tradition passed down, parent to child, since Adam. Abraham, in contrast, arrived at the knowledge of an existence of a Supreme Creator on his own, without any external information. This fact marks Abraham as unique in the history of the world.

Whether Abraham is considered a convert may get into a question of semantics. The formal laws of conversion, per se, were not concertized until the Torah was given to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. Before the giving of the Torah, becoming a Jew was a much less formal procedure, more predicated on one’s belief than a formal conversion ceremony: acceptance of God as the One Supreme Ruler of the universe sufficed to label one as a Jew. As such, Abraham could certainly be considered a convert to Judaism, but not in the same sense that we think of the conversion process today.

Be well,
Rabbi Yoel Spotts

Quoted Text

Throughout history there have been men and women who joined the Jewish people through conversion. In Genesis, after Abraham was called by God to journey to the land of Canaan, we read: "Abraham went forth as the Lord had commanded him. Abraham took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot ... and the persons that they had acquired in Haran". According to rabbinic interpretation, the "persons they had acquired" represented the first converts to Judaism and all converts, when they acquire their Hebrew name, are known as ben (son of) or bat (daughter of) Abraham.

The most famous example of a biblical convert is Ruth who, we are told, was the great-grandmother of King David. Since tradition says that the Messiah will come from the line of David, then the Messiah too will be descended from a convert to Judaism.

In the Talmudic period several well-known rabbis and scholars were themselves converts, or descended from converts, and there have also been interesting examples of group conversion to Judaism, like the entire kingdom of the Khazars in the eighth century.

Quoted from CICERO

Unless this is one of those Jehovah Witness Rabbi's

http://www.jewishanswers.org/ask-the-rabbi-category/from-idolatry-to-conversion/conversion/?p=3415

Quoted from Sombody

"As such, Abraham could certainly be considered a convert to Judaism, but not in the same sense that we think of the conversion process today.

you see . your stretching the truth- calling  Abraham converted Jew  that is just soo cicero-

Quoted from CICERO

Stretching the truth?  What did you read?  He was the first Jew.  What was Abraham's mother and father if not Jewish?  What about Abraham's older brother Haram?  Wouldn't his older brother be the first Jewish person in the "bloodline"?

Quoted from Sombody

He was Hebrew

Quoted from bumblethru

Hagar was an Egyptian.

God made it clear to Abraham that the child born from Sarah and Abraham would be the one that would inherit God's covenant.

Quoted from CICERO

He obviously didn't make it clear.  God allegedly told one person.  Nobody else received the memo.  Anybody can convert and become Jewish.  Jewishness is a belief and not a people.  If everybody followed the laws of the Talmud, then Israel belongs to everybody.

Quoted from Sombody

the gospel according to cicero-

its a little bit fishy though-

Quoted Text

Gov. Cuomo Announces Joint New York-Israel Tech Summit And Tourism Effort

Yesterday  3:45 PM by JP Newsroom Leave a comment (0) Go to comments


Following a briefing to leaders of the national Jewish community on the success of his recent trip to Israel, Governor Cuomo on Tuesday announced that New York State is launching a new initiative to pursue partnership opportunities with the Israeli government that will drive tourism, commerce, and private sector investments, ultimately growing both economies.

The initiative is designed to strengthen the special bond between Israel and New York, which are home to the two largest Jewish populations in the world and is part of the State’s Global NY initiative introduced in Governor Cuomo’s 2014 State of the State Address to attract international investment and jobs to New York.

As of such, the Governor said he intends to explore the possibility of hosting a joint tech summit to benefit New York State and Israel.

Additionally, the State will pursue the first global Path Through History initiative with Israel, to promote historic sites and tourism in Israel and New York through a joint marketing effort. This provides an opportunity to build appreciation for the rich history and culture of both New York State and Israel, as well as the rich history we share.

“New York is fortunate to have a long-standing bond with Israel, and today I am proud to announce that we are working to make this partnership the strongest it has ever been,” Governor Cuomo said at a press conference on the 3rd floor of the Jewish Museum in Manhattan.

“Our state stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel, and it is more important now than ever to make this commitment clear,” he continued. “From our recent Unity trip to the launch of this new initiative, we are affirming the deep cultural, social and economic relationships that connect our two regions. We are also showing the world that friends stand together in times of crisis, and I am confident that this new partnership will strengthen the ties between New York and Israel for years to come.”

In the coming weeks, Israeli and New York State officials will meet to explore ways to expand opportunities for local job seekers and businesses in a variety of industries including tourism, technology, energy and agriculture, the governor’s office announced. Representatives of Empire State Development, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the Department of Agriculture and Markets, as well as members of the Governor’s administration and others, will convene with their Israeli counterparts to analyze potential agreements that may be established.