Zvi Aviram was born in 1927 as Heinz Abrahamsohn in Berlin. After the deportation of his parents on February 27, 1943, the 16-year-old went into hiding on his own. He made contact with the resistance group Chug Chaluzi, which had been founded shortly before by Jewish youth and young adults in Berlin, and in which he became actively involved. He also had connections to a communist circle. During his odyssey through various hiding places, he was arrested twice. In the last days of the war, when he feared for his life, he was unexpectedly released from the prison of the collection camp on Schulstrasse in Berlin-Wedding. After liberation, he made his way to Munich through adventurous routes, where he worked for the Jewish Agency until he was able to emigrate to Palestine in 1948.