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# EXHIBIT 31.1

# CERTIFICATION

I, Robert S. Hekemian, certify that:

| | 1. | I
have reviewed this report on Form 10-Q of First Real Estate          Investment Trust of
New Jersey;
| | -- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 2. | Based
on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue          statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact necessary          to make the statements made, in
light of the circumstances under which          such statements were made, not misleading
with respect to the period          covered by this report;
| | -- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 3. | Based
on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial          information
included in this report, fairly present in all material          respects the financial
condition, results of operations and cash flows          of the registrant as of, and
for, the periods presented in this report;
| | -- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 4. | The
registrants other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for          establishing
and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as          defined in Exchange Act
Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal          control over financial reporting (as
defined in Exchange Act Rules          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 other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most
recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrants
auditors and the audit committee of the registrants board of directors (or persons
performing the equivalent 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.

|Date: September 9, 2005 | /s/ Robert S. Hekemian

Robert S. Hekemian
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
|----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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