Zora Dirnbach (22 August 1929 – 19 April 2019) was a Croatian-Jewish journalist and writer, born in

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

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. 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 A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

. Since 1949, Dirnbach worked as a journalist and editor of the cultural section at the daily newspapers, and

Radio Zagreb ''Hrvatska radiotelevizija'' (abbr. HRT), or Croatian Radiotelevision, is Croatia's public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. HRT is divided into thr ...

. 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 The Academy of Dramatic Art ( hr, Akademija dramske umjetnosti or ADU) is a Croatian drama school. Since its inception in 1896, the institution grew in prominence resulting in its successful affiliation with the University of Zagreb in 1979, along ...

. She authored several novels and collections of short stories. Through her life Dirnbach was inspired by the tragedy of

Shoah The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ar ...

, 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. Although Dirnbach was christened by her family during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in an attempt to save her life, she considered herself to be an atheist Croatian Jew. Her mother and sister survived the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

although many members of her family did not. She died on 19 April 2019.

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Zora Dirnbach at Hrvatsko društvo pisaca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dirnbach, Zora 1929 births 2019 deaths People from Osijek Croatian Jews Croatian writers Jewish writers Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni Academic staff of the University of Zagreb Jewish atheists Croatian screenwriters Golden Arena winners Croatian people of Austrian descent Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery