In 1882 he went to Paris to meet a young Edmond James de Rothschild, and convinced him to take an interest in the struggling settlers in Israel and to financially support a settlement called Ekron (now Mazkeret Batya).

In 1893 there were a series of disagreements between Rabbi Mohilever and the main offices of Chovevei L'Tzion in Odessa, which was largely secularist and directed by Leo Pinsker.

This new branch was named Mizrachi, (מִזְרָחִי, a notarikon (Hebrew abbreviation) of מרכז רוחני, merkaz ruhani – "spiritual centre").

Rabbi Mohilever and his colleagues continued their work, especially among Orthodox Jews, and as a result, Mizrachi became the foundation of the Religious Zionist movement.

[2] His last letter to the Jews of Russia before his death urged them to work to achieve a deep attachment to the commandment to settle in Israel, which he said is “the foundation of the existence of our people.” The kibbutz Gan Shmuel was named after Mohilever.