**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:
                  March 13, 2006
              /s/
                  Robert S. HekemianRobert
                  S. HekemianChairman
                  of the Board and Chief Executive
                  Officer