Zora Dirnbach

{{Short description|Croatian journalist and writer (1929–2019)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Zora Dirnbach

| image =

| imagesize =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1929|08|22}}

| birth_place = Osijek, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (present-day Republic of Croatia)

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2019|04|19|1929|08|22}}

| death_place =

| relations = Samuel and Marija Dirnbach
(parents)
Gertruda Dirnbach
(sister)

| alma_mater = University of Zagreb

| occupation = Writer

| nationality = Croatia

}}

Zora Dirnbach (22 August 1929 – 19 April 2019) was a Croatian-Jewish{{cite web|url=http://resources.ushmm.org/hsv/person_view.php?PersonId=4967779|title=Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database: Zora Dirnbach|author=Staff|publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|access-date=8 February 2013}} journalist and writer, born in Osijek on 22 August 1929 to a Jewish father and Austrian-born Catholic mother who converted to Judaism in 1922. She was raised with her sister Gertruda.{{harvtxt|Goldstein|2001|pp=486, 487}}{{cite news|url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/zora-dirnbach---cekala-sam-20-godina--deveti-krug-/285280/|title=Zora Dirnbach: 'Čekala sam 20 godina 'Deveti krug'|publisher=Jutarnji list|language=hr}}{{harvtxt|Snješka Knežević|2011|p=112}}{{in lang|hr}} Ha-Kol (Glasilo Židovske zajednice u Hrvatskoj); Nataša Maksimović Subašić; Zora Dirnbach – Svjetionik s one strane nacionalizma; stranica 4, 5, 6, 7; broj 110, lipanj/srpanj/kolovoz 2009.

Zora Dirnbach studied art history at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zagreb. Since 1949, Dirnbach worked as a journalist and editor of the cultural section at the daily newspapers, and Radio Zagreb. Since 1958, she worked as a dramatist on Radio Zagreb first channel, and since 1963-91 as a dramatist and editor of television drama program on Radio-Television Zagreb (now Croatian Radiotelevision). Dirnbach was author of three feature film scenarios, more than a dozen radio plays, TV dramas, TV movies, two series, adaptation and translation of a large number of radio and TV dramas. As an associate, Dirnbach taught TV dramaturgy for several years at the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://zbl.lzmk.hr/?p=3133|title=DIRNBACH, Zora|encyclopedia=Židovski biografski leksikon|publisher=Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography|language=hr|access-date=24 April 2019}}

She authored several novels and collections of short stories. Through her life Dirnbach was inspired by the tragedy of the Shoah, personal and family tragedy, as she gave invaluable contribution to the Jewish community in Croatia. With the extensive involvement at Zagreb's Jewish community council, she led the Committee for Information at the council.{{cite journal|url=http://arhiva.nacional.hr/clanak/10441/manjinama-danas-nije-bitno-bolje-nego-pod-tudmanom|title=Manjinama danas nije bitno bolje nego pod Tuđmanom|journal=Nacional|language=hr|issue=368|date=4 December 2002|access-date=2 October 2016}}

Although Dirnbach was christened by her family during World War II in an attempt to save her life, she considered herself to be an atheist Croatian Jew. Her mother and sister survived the Holocaust although many members of her family did not. She died on 19 April 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/kultura/umrla-scenaristica-i-dramaturginja-zora-dirnbach-1314489 |title=Umrla scenaristica i dramaturginja Zora Dirnbach |website=www.vecernji.hr |language=hr |access-date=2019-04-20}}