The first one: Subjected to ridiculous laws, Jews were prevented from joining their Dutch friends in many social activites.
By giving the reader a wider and broader sense of recognition of such object, person, emotion, you name it.
for example: the dog walked past me towards its owner.
or
The beautiful brown labrador flounced past me towards its loving owner.
It gives you more detailed information making the reading material more interesting, keeping the reader's attention.
It contributes to the mood depending on what you say and how you say it.
for example: The solemn gray skies.
The gorgeous sparkling lights.
Dude, You can do that. That really easy. It only 80 words. Plus it's a diary so it's not complex. You can literally make it up too. You could say your first day at McDonald's or first day working at a candy store.
Metaphor because the clouds and fog are being compared to a completely different thing: racial prejudice and misunderstanding.
