Perlman was born in Tel Aviv which, three years later, became part of the state of Israel. When he was small he listened to the violin on the radio and decided he wanted to play it. He studied at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. Then he moved to the United States to study at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay. He made his first public performance at Carnegie Hall in 1963. In 1964 he won the Leventritt Competition. Soon afterward he began to tour widely. He also appeared on American television in shows including "Sesame Street". He was invited to play at the White House. 