Jacob Philip (Jaap) van Praag (born 11 May 1911 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

– died 12 April 1981 in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...

) was a Dutch

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

who played a prominent role in establishing the Dutch Humanist League. He was its chairman from 1946 to 1969. And, from 1954 to 1974, he was a member of a provincial Executive. Van Praag was one of the first professors in Humanist studies in

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of L ...

(1964–1979). He played a major role in the founding of the

International Humanist and Ethical Union Humanists International (known as the International Humanist and Ethical Union, or IHEU, from 1952–2019) is an international non-governmental organisation championing secularism and human rights, motivated by secular humanist values. Foun ...

and was its chairman from inception in 1952 until 1975.

Name confusion

There is another Jaap van Praag, his namesake, a football administrator and former chairman of local football club

Ajax Amsterdam Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the ...

with whom he is often confused. Both were around the same age (born 1911 and 1910), both born in Amsterdam and both survived the war hiding in the city. In addition both played a role in broadcasting for the VARA.

Sources

Biography
by Pieter Edelman in the Encyclopedie van het Humanisme (in Dutch). 1911 births 1981 deaths People from Amsterdam Dutch humanists Dutch corporate directors Dutch Jews Jewish Dutch politicians Humanistic Jews Jewish socialists Dutch nonprofit executives Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands) politicians Members of the Provincial-Executive of South Holland Businesspeople from Amsterdam Leiden University faculty {{Netherlands-bio-stub