Motivated by a rising tide of Russian state-sponsored antisemitism and terrorism (pogroms), Cohen emigrated to Ottoman Palestine in 1887. He idealistically settled in Rishon LeZion ("First to Zion") as part of the Hovevei Zion ("Lovers of Zion") movement. Rishon LeZion was established in 1882, as a Jewish agricultural cooperative on barren, empty land which was purchased from two brothers, Musa and Mustafa el Dagani.