Jaap van Praag

{{short description|Dutch humanist}}

{{for|the Dutch sports director|Jaap van Praag (sports director)}}

{{Multiple issues|section=|

{{Expand German|topic=bio|Jaap van Praag (Organisator)|date=March 2018}}

{{One source|date=June 2022}}

}}

File:Praag JP van 01.jpg

Jacob Philip "Jaap" van Praag ({{IPA|nl|ˈjaːkɔp ˈfilɪp ˈjaːp fɑm ˈpraːx}}; born 11 May 1911 in Amsterdam – died 12 April 1981 in Utrecht) 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.{{cite book|work = University of Humanistic Studies| title = Jaap van Praag| date = January 2007| publisher = Prometheus Books| isbn = 978-1-59102-391-3| url = https://research.uvh.nl/en/publications/jaap-van-praag}}

Before World War II, Van Praag was a socialist and pacifist activist. As a Jew, he went into during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

Van Praag was one of the first professors in Humanist studies in University of Leiden (1964–1979). 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.