**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 11, 2006
            /s/
                Robert S. HekemianRobert
                S. HekemianChairman
                of the Board and Chief Executive
                Officer