Geo Quiz

“I do.”

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We’re breaking up for today’s Geo Quiz. We’re looking for a Middle East country that’s often in the news. It’s known for its argumentative politicians and its bitter disputes with its neighbors.

Debate and discord have been a central part of this nation’s short history. Now a disagreement has put this country in the news again today. But this dispute is a little more mundane. It’s between a man and his 11th wife.

Or more to the point, his 11th “ex-wife.” We’ll explain here…

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We have to answer our Geo Quiz. We were looking for a Middle Eastern country where arguing is kind of a way of life. You could say that about a lot of countries in the region … But Israel is the answer we’re looking for. Israel has a relatively low divorce rate. But as the World’s Jason Margolis tells us, one man may be skewing the stats.

A 50-year-old man in Israel has heard this…

“I do.”

Not once. Not twice. Not thrice. He’s heard it. 11 times.

“I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. …”

That’s the Israeli record for Jewish marriages, according to a rabbinical court in Jerusalem. And now, this week, he broke his own national record for divorces. He just racked up number 11.

And while 11 divorces might sound “impressive,” for lack of a better word, he’s still far from holding the international title:

According to the Guinesses Book of World records, an Indiana woman has been divorced 23 times.

But the Israeli divorce isn’t done walking down the aisle. He’s apparently confident that some “lucky lady” will soon help him reach a dozen marriages. He told an Israeli divorce court, “I send out a hook in all directions, and the fish come on their own.” With a line like that… how can any woman resist?