**EXHIBIT 31.1****PURSUANT TORULES 13a-14 AND15d-14 OF THESECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934****AND SECTION 302****OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002****CERTIFICATION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER**I, Alan H. Fishman, certify that:     1.     I have reviewed this annualreport onForm 10-K ofIndependence Community Bank Corp. (the “Registrant”);     2.     Based on my knowledge, thisreport does not contain any untrue statement of a material factor omit to state a material fact necessary to make thestatements made, in light of the circumstances under which suchstatements were made, not misleading with respect to the periodcovered by this report;     3.     Based on my knowledge, thefinancial statements, and other financial information includedin this report, fairly present in all material respects thefinancial condition, results of operations and cash flows of theRegistrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;     4.     The Registrant’s othercertifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing andmaintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined inExchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internalcontrol over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange ActRules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the Registrant and have:          (a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or    caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed    under our supervision, to ensure that material information    relating to the Registrant, including its consolidated    subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those    entities, particularly during the period in which this report is    being prepared;           **(**b) Designed such internal control over financial    reporting, or caused such internal control over financial    reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide    reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial    reporting and the preparation of financial statements for    external purposes in accordance with generally accepted    accounting principles;           (c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the Registrant’s    disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report    our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure    controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by    this report based on such evaluation; and           (d) Disclosed in this report any change in the    Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that    occurred during the Registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter    (the Registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an    annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably    likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal    control over financial reporting; and     5.     The Registrant’s othercertifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our mostrecent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,to the Registrant’s auditors and the audit committee ofRegistrant’s board of directors (or persons performing theequivalent functions):          (a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in    the design or operation of internal control over financial    reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the    Registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and    report financial information; and           (b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves    management or other employees who have a significant role in the    Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.     /s/ Alan H. Fishman           Alan H. Fishman *President and Chief Executive Officer*Date: March 15, 2006