Jaap van Praag

Jacob Philip "Jaap" van Praag was a Dutch humanist who played a prominent role in establishing the Dutch Humanist League. He was its chairman from 1946 to 1969. From 1954 to 1974, he was a member of the executive board of the provincial government of South Holland.
Before World War II, Van Praag was a socialist and pacifist activist. As a Jew, he went into hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
Van Praag was one of the first professors in Humanist studies in University of Leiden. He played a major role in the founding of the International Humanist and Ethical Union 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 with whom he is often confused. Both were around the same age, both born in Amsterdam and both survived the war hiding in the city. In addition both played a role in broadcasting for the VARA.