Six months after its formation, a support group for Holocaust survivors in Monmouth and Ocean counties has become a forum for its members to unlock memories both painful and positive and to ensure that their stories are preserved for posterity.

The group, formed under the auspices of the Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, began meeting in May; more than 60 survivors from both counties have attended the monthly meetings at the Freehold Jewish Center.

“We celebrate and sometimes we commiserate,” said survivor Fred Spiegel of Howell Township, a member of the group’s advisory board. “The important thing is that this group exists for those who want it or need it. I think it will help every member in the long run.”

The support group had its genesis at a center board meeting, according to Dale Daniels, the center’s executive director. The six-member survivor advisory board is encouraged to bring its concerns to the center, which will consult with group members about survivor issues and create related programs that address their concerns.

“The group is a major resource for us,” said Daniels. “It provides an opportunity for survivors in Monmouth and Ocean counties to get together, socialize, and share information about issues that are important to them.”

The group will work with center staff to plan programs for students and will help meet the increasing demand for survivors to speak at area schools, she added.

Ironically, the survivors rarely speak of their wartime experiences during the meetings, according to Spiegel.

“They prefer to get together and talk about current events — especially in Israel — health issues, their families, and whatever else is on their minds,” said Spiegel, who was born in Germany in 1932 and was interned in three concentration camps before being liberated by American forces in 1945.

Some members are, however, considering writing books or articles about their experiences, and Spiegel — whose own book, Once the Acacias Bloomed: Memories of a Childhood Lost, is now in its fifth printing — helps them find publishing outlets.

Children and grandchildren of survivors are also encouraged to attend the meetings, according to Spiegel.

“This can be a difficult area,” he said. “Sometimes the children and grandchildren of the survivors know that their relatives went through something terrible during the war, but in many cases, survivors don’t want to talk about their Holocaust experiences. They say it’s over and done, so there is no point in discussing it. Just forget about it.”

And some group members are still too traumatized to discuss the Holocaust in a group forum, Spiegel said.

“It’s simply too painful for them to talk about what they endured,” he said. “But I tell them that it always catches up with you, even after you become successful in business or in your home life.”

Group members have, however, shared some memories with the others. Some related that even some Nazi soldiers they encountered expressed disbelief that such wide-scale persecution was taking place, while others said the perpetrators knew exactly what they were doing, since the execution of Jews was done in such a systematic manner. And some who have encountered members of the current generation in Germany reported that many of these Germans today ask how the Holocaust could have happened while the world watched.

But, said Spiegel, it’s very unusual for the group members to speak about the Holocaust, “and no one is pressured to talk about it. [They] simply like to be together with others who have shared their wartime experiences. They get a great deal of comfort from that.”

Although group meetings usually take place at the Freehold Jewish Center, the Oct. 19 gathering will be at the Lakewood Courtyard, where members will participate in a celebration in honor of the Jewish New Year.

Additional information about the survivors’ support group is available by calling Brookdale’s Center for Holocaust Studies at 732-224-2074.