Itzhak Perlman celebrates his 80th birthday with a klezmer concert

“Being a fan of the Mets is like very, very much being Jewish — you know, you suffer,” Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman tells me. “Every now and then, you have wonderful, wonderful, great, great, great celebration — and then some more suffering.”

Perlman, who turned 80 on Aug. 31, was describing his recent birthday celebration — a Chinese dinner in Flushing with loved ones, followed by a trip to Citi Field “to watch the Mets lose,” as he described it.

Ever the optimist, the virtuoso — who has won a whopping 16 Grammys and has conducted and performed with orchestras all over the world...