Aliyah Bet
After World War II, some 250,000 European Jews were living in Displaced Persons camps within Germany and Austria under harsh conditions. Zionist organizations began organizing an underground network known as the Brichah ("flight", in Hebrew), which moved thousands of Jews from the camps to ports on the Mediterranean Sea where ships took them to Palestine. This was part of the Aliyah Bet immigration that commenced after the war. At first many made their way to Palestine on their own. Later, they received financial and other support from sympathizers around the world. The boats were largely staffed by volunteers from the United States, Canada and Latin America. Over 100,000 people tried to illegally immigrate to Palestine, as part of Aliyah Bet.